


Let There Be Life

by AngelTitan114



Category: Haikyuu!!, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Everybody is older, F/M, Ghost Drifting, M/M, Multi, Pacific Rim AU, a threeway may or may not be canon, and no iwaoi, but which is it????, heheheheh, kei and akiteru are bi for sure, lots of politics too, lots of profanity, more than one character death, they my fave but im sorry, yams and ushi are the 'I'm gonna steal yo girl' crew
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-05-28 13:09:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6330508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelTitan114/pseuds/AngelTitan114
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of tragedy, the final operational Shatterdome must find a way to rebuild itself and its pilots. With a whole new line of Jaegers ready to be piloted, will the rookies, rich kids, mechanics and unstable be able to protect humanity and defeat the kaiju?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First

**Author's Note:**

> So um I really don't know what to say so enjoy?? Yeah. Okay, btw, huge character death in first chapter so you have been warned. Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Just so you know, this is HEAVY with character deaths. I know it may seem excessive, but there will be TWELVE in total, some which happen in the past and some which will happen in this storyline. Just so you can prepare yourself if you plan on reading this, keep in mind that NOBODY is safe in this au, especially the pilots.  
> Alright, you can continue now :)

"Blood pressure dropping!"

"Pulse failing as well!"

"Get me the defib, now!"

"Charging, sir! Thirty seconds-"

"Sir! Two more coming in; the pilots of Echo!"

"God _ dammit!  _ First Fury, now Echo? What the hell happened out there?!  _ And where the hell is that defib?! _ "

"H-here, sir! Ten seconds!"

"Please tell me the drift hasn't killed you yet...  _ CLEAR!" _

 

_ *** _

 

Tanaka Ryuunosuke could only gawk helplessly as the recovery teams dragged the remnants of the legendary Jaeger into the Hong Kong Shatterdome's Bay Six.

Fury Alamo was a command Jaeger, piloted by the Tsukishima brothers at the head of Strike Group Beta. Tanaka had been a J-Tech on it since the beginning, having moved straight from training to working on Fury in its early years. It had been the first of the Mark III's, few physical differences between it and its later siblings. It had been so unique, the enormous nuclear core powering its authoritative movements and attacks. Few kaiju could land a sustainable blow upon its titanium armour. Tanaka was proud of that. He had been in among the team of two hundred that had reinforced the metallic plating and painted it until it shone like a blazing star in the dank Shatterdome.

Now, the bright silver and gold paint was almost unrecognizable beneath the horrendous damage the category four had dealt. Reaper, they had nicknamed it; fitting. The entire left hemisphere had been torn away and shredded, the conn-pod slashed down the middle, the elder of the Tsukishima brothers taken with it. The right side had been mauled afterwards, deep gashes all along the length of the remaining arm where Fury must have attempted to protect its second and final pilot. It could barely stand, so Echo Sterling, the second of Mark III's, had come to its command team's aid. It stood toe to toe with Reaper, similar physicalities to Fury other than the glossy black and orange paint it sported.

The J-Techs had known it had been a bad idea to send out Beta without their third Jaeger, Zulu Vega, who was currently under intense repair in the Bay Seven. Why not send out the fully prepped and ready pilots of Tau Grizzly or Endeavour Aurora from Strike Group Alpha as well? Just because their command team was currently out of commission didn't mean the whole division had to be.

That decision to leave two perfectly capable Jaegers to collect dust while billions of dollars in damages were landed upon Fury and Echo proved fatal. The veteran pilot of Fury was now dead and the remaining pilot was following suit, the pilots of Echo close on their heels after having to take down the kaiju themselves and protect Fury at the same time.

They wanted the techs to salvage everything they could from Fury for repairs on Echo. Tanaka knew there was no way to save the once glorious Jaeger he had sweat, bled and laboured over for years; not in this condition. But immediate breaking down of Fury? It was too soon, too open a wound for everyone. Hundreds of jobs would either be lost or transferred to the next Jaeger in development, the first of the Mark IV's. Strike Group Beta would need to be rebuilt, having lost its command team and one of its teams were out of commission. Tanaka had never met either of the Tsukishima brothers personally, the Rangers that had piloted his beloved Jaeger, but he knew the surviving one would want to at least have one more moment with the Jaeger before techs tore it down to scraps for Echo's repairs. He knew he himself would. How would the kid feel once his recovery allowed him out of the hospital and he found his subordinates’ Jaeger having stolen pieces of his own?

That is, if he even survived his recovery.

Tanaka winced at the sound of scraping metal, once having been surrounded by that very same sound while building Fury. A once endearing noise that made up his daily life and affection for the inanimate one-step-away-from-a-nuclear-bomb machine. The final of the recovery Jumphawks had brought in the last and unrecognizable parts of Fury that would be used to rebuild Echo's shredded limbs and hull. He ground his teeth, attempting to no avail to drown out the memory-triggering noises all around him. He hated this, truly hated the whole situation. This was command's fault completely; Tsukishima Akiteru's death would be on their heads. No one else could take the blame for such a horrific outcome.

Tanaka spun away on the catwalks he had strode across for so long, working his fingers to the bone while welding the slightest and seemingly insignificant pieces into place. His anger got the best of his agony, and he disappeared out of Bay Six with an aura of rage convulsing around him. He wouldn't let this ever happen to another Jaeger again as long as he was breathing.

 

***

 

" _Mother of God,_ " Kuroo Tetsurou murmured upon hearing the news of the Beta division. Him and his co-pilot, Kozume Kenma, had been roused from their sleep at an ungodly hour of the morning, Kuroo muttering profanities, only to learn one of his good friends was dead.

"What happened?" Kozume inquired of the officer outside their bedroom door when Kuroo was unable to answer. "Why weren't we informed earlier that Beta went out? The alert sirens didn't even go off."

"Marshal Ukai requested Strike Group Alpha not be put on alert," the officer explained, though was visibly breaking upon seeing Kozume's increasing but subtle anger and Kuroo's utter shock white face, something unnatural to both the pilots of Strike Group Alpha's command Jaeger, Juno Raptor. "A category four kaiju, named Reaper, appeared from the Breach. Fury Alamo and Echo Sterling were sent out, both fully prepped, and intercepted the kaiju fourteen miles off the Miracle Mile. Fury Alamo took the first wave of the kaiju's attacks, Ranger Tsukishima Akiteru being killed." The officer paused, noticing Kuroo shrink away from the mention of the veteran pilot. "Echo Sterling took down the threat, but both pilots have been hospitalized, and the medical department doesn't know if Ranger Tsukishima Kei will survive from having to pilot solo in an almost completely dysfunctional Jaeger for so long."

"Jesus fucking  _ Christ!" _ Kuroo hissed and wheeled back into the room. Kozume glanced back at his partner, feeling his distress across their link, before dismissing the officer with a half-hearted "thank you".

"Tetsurou?" Kozume murmured, coming slowly up beside his partner while projecting a soothing feeling through their mental connection. He placed a gentle hand on Kuroo's arm. "You couldn't have done anything. You know that. The risk is a part of the job description anyways."

"That idiotic old man!" Kuroo cried, snarling as he referred to the aging Marshal. "Who gave him the right to send out Beta without Zulu?! He knew this would happen, the bastard!"

"No, he didn't," Kozume lied. "No one knows the outcome once Jaegers are in the field."

"You don't mean that," Kuroo growled, glaring down at his partner, but didn't pull away. He had felt Kozume's lie through the link. "You know full well the Marshal has been wanting to rearrange the divisions for months now for his new Jaegers. God knows he sent Akiteru out there to his death. He wanted at least one Jaeger out of the way, if not both! Tell me you disagree."

Kozume didn't.

"I'm going to rip his heart out myself," Kuroo instead murmured dangerously low, his already dark eyes having darkened even further. Kozume shuttered through their connection, feeling his own anger rise in turn, though not by his own will. "He didn't tell us because he didn't want us to interfere with his natural selection. We could have easily sent Koutarou and Keiji out in minutes if we had known. Even Lev and Mori would have flanked Beta willingly."

Suddenly, his anger began to fade beneath Kozume's continued projections, and he rubbed his eyes, the agony surfacing. He sighed, comfort radiating from Kozume's soft touch against his taut arm. "And his brother... God, what's that kid going to do? First Akiteru loses his original co-pilot, now Kei loses his. It's like they're cursed." He reached out, mentally, and grasped for Kozume's presence. The younger Ranger sighed quietly as their connection strengthened, Kozume leaning head forehead against his partner's side. Their drifting had always been above average level, since they had been close for as long as either could remember. Their Ghost Drifting was just as strong, the mental connection tightly knit after long hours of training and bonding over the years.

"He'll be fine," Kozume reassured his partner soothingly, eyes closing. He could still feel Kuroo's unhappiness across their link, seeping into his own feelings. "He's got you watching him now, right? I can’t even imagine how hard it will be to feel the aftereffects of this, but… You’ll keep him sane. I’ll help you.”

The two were silent for a quite a while, holding their consciousnesses together, until Kuroo spoke through the thick, comforting feeling. “Would you continue to pilot if you lost me?”

Kozume started at the misery vibrating through the link, eyes flickering open. Was he truly that worried about his friend’s brother and co-pilot? Or was it more the anguish from such a fresh wound? Kozume attempted to ignore it and instead focused his efforts on countering his partner’s distress with his own soothing projections. “I think I would probably have gone down with you if that ever happened,” he told Kuroo. A twinge of a heavy ache hit Kozume through the link, spurring him to continue. “But if it was only me that came back… I think I would pilot again if it were for the right reasons. If Command wanted me to continue being a Ranger purely because they didn’t want to put together new teams, then I wouldn’t. I don’t think I’d want somebody in my head if it wasn’t you. Only if it was my readiness standing between the life and death of civilians, then I’d get back in a Jaeger. Preferably Juno.”

Kuroo cracked a small grin then, hooking his arm around Kozume and leaning their foreheads together gently. “Same here,” Kuroo told him. “Though I don’t think anybody else would really be able to drift with me.”

“Except Bokuto.”

Kuroo snorted. “Hey, you saw what happened when I tried to pair with him. How long were we in drift, what, 0.03 seconds? He’s a whole lot better off with Keiji anyways, not me. It’s the same with me and you. Wasn’t there someone else you had yo ur eye on for pairing up with while in the Academy? That kid who was a couple years below you? Oh damn, what’s his name… Hirata? No, that wasn’t it… Hanada! No, not that either… Kenma, what was his name?”

 

***

 

“Hinata Shouyou, reporting, sir!”

“At ease, Rookie,” Takeda Ittetsu told the bleach haired young man of twenty-three, fresh out of the Academy. Takeda didn’t look up from his clipboard, merely writing things down from the previous recruit he had just taken a look at to Hinata’s side. “Your scores in the Examination?”

“Drift Compatibility 92%; Simulation 89%; Physical Combat 90%, sir!” the young soldier chirped back in a crisp voice, arms tight at his side as he searched out Takeda’s gaze.

Takeda smiled a little, now glancing up.“Impressive scores you have, Hinata-kun,” he told the younger man as he scribbled quick notes in the box that held the recruit’s name on his clipboard. “Do you have a prefered partner as of yet?”

“At the moment, no!” Hinata replied, Takeda catching the hint of disappointment in his voice. “My first choice is currently a Ranger, sir!”

“Oh?” Takeda questioned, his interest perking. “What’s the Ranger’s name?”

“Kozume Kenma, sir, pilot of command Jaeger Juno Raptor!”

“You had drift compatibility with Kozume-kun?” the recruiter asked skeptically, ignoring the fact that he was spending more time on this new recruit compared to the other Rookies of the Academy’s top twenty in line. “The same Kozume-kun who had over 100% drift compatibility with his current co-pilot but less than a passing score with everyone else he drifted with?  _ That _ Kozume-kun?”

Though his face remained professional and respectful, Hinata noticeably brightened. He had been singled out among the rest of the top twenty,  _ him _ , by the second-in-command of the Hong Kong Shatterdome. Takeda was only here to assess the recruits for their Mark IV’s being launched in the coming year, but  _ still! _ Mind narrowing and latching onto Takeda’s interest in his drift compatibility scores, Hinata launched right into it. “Yes, sir, the very same!” Hinata had actually known Kozume since high school, though had not joined the Jaeger Program at the same time. Hinata had wanted to pursue engineering until he turned twenty, when he witnessed Fury Alamo in person.

It had been a category three, looming but lethe in shape. It was on the Miracle Mile, Hinata having been out on his morning run when he saw the hulking beast. But, like the command Jaeger it was, Fury Alamo had lured the kaiju away from the Mile and taken it down, backup from the rest of Strike Group Beta. Hinata had immediately immortalized the two pilots of the awe-striking Jaeger into his memory; Tsukishima Akiteru and the Small Giant, the unlikely pair, one being extremely open about being a pilot, the other never having been fully identified by the public eye. Hinata had wanted to be just like them henceforth, finally understanding why Kozume had wanted to be a pilot himself.

It wasn’t until Hinata enrolled into the Jaeger Academy in United States that he learned the pilot that had been named the Small Giant had died during that kaiju attack. The neural kickback from the EMP based kaiju had knocked Tsukishima Akiteru from the drift, leaving the Small Giant to pilot alone.

The neural overload had killed him within the hour. Fury Alamo had just been too much for him to handle alone.

An unuttered vow drove Hinata to want to continue his fallen idol’s legacy and excel to a command Jaeger in the foreseeable future. After Fury Alamo found a new co-pilot, Hinata and Kozume had reunited, never actually making a pact to become pilots together until it was too late and Kozume was suddenly snatched away for a more compatible co-pilot having been top of his year.

Now, here Hinata was, within the top twenty of his year and ready to finally find himself a  _ damn co-pilot _ so he could become a full fledged Ranger.

“How many other people do you have drift compatibility with?” Takeda questioned him, interest evident. Hinata straightens even more, taking a moment to remember exactly.

“Several, sir!” he instead put out vaguely, his memory failing him at the worst time. How many people  _ had _ he been able to do the drift tests with? Five? Ten?

“The exact number is forty-three, sir,” Hinata’s instructor said from beside Takeda, now speaking up. “All strong drifts.”

“ _ Forty-three?! _ ” Takeda sputtered, hearing such an unheard of number in drift compatibility. He glanced from the passive faced instructor to Hinata, eyes impossibly widened. “You’ve drifted with forty-three other Rookies?  _ Including Kozume-kun? _ ”

This time, Hinata nodded sharply. His voice would have cracked painfully from the embarrassment if he had opened his mouth. He knew full well that the record before him was a mere fifteen. Hearing from someone else that he had reached over forty now slammed him with the implication of his compatibility: he was invaluable. If his range was wide, he could practically pilot with anyone and everyone, making him a good asset for single veteran pilots as well as other Rookies who didn’t have a co-pilot when they graduated. Hinata wasn’t even in the top five of the class and he was already an eyecatcher for piloting!

Down the line from Hinata, at the very end and holding top spot of the top twenty, was Kageyama Tobio, the ‘King.’ Takeda hadn’t reached this prodigy yet, so Kageyama was beginning to feel the slightest bit of jealously build. Sure, he knew Hinata Shouyou, the kid who had drifted with so many people; but, with the exception of Kozume Kenma and Yachi Hitoka (who was further down the line of the top twenty), the rest of the cadets had been cut from the Academy and never even glimpsed a chance at top one hundred. Why he kept going on about not having a co-pilot when he could easily have Yachi as one, Kageyama couldn’t guess. She was Hinata’s only chance at this point.

Not that the King cared enough. He was top of his year, top scores, and had enough people to choose from to become his co-pilot. The top Rookies always made Ranger status, examples being all of the Rangers piloting command Jaegers in Hong Kong. Kageyama was hoping the trend wouldn’t break with him. His stance remained crisp and he kept his eyes forward, but he was ticking away the seconds into minutes as Takeda fawned even more over the ridiculous little ball of energy in the middle of the line.

Finally,  _ finally, _ Takeda moved on through the rest of the potential recruits. When he reached Kageyama, the top Rookie crisply saluted the second-in-command and answered all his questions, emphasizing the top scores. His instructor also helped with that, blooming with pride at Kageyama’s success in the Academy. Takeda thankfully spent a little extra time on Kageyama, asking if he had a co-pilot and such. The Rookie had answered with the fact that he could strongly drift with anyone in line, especially the top five.

Just as he finished taking Kageyama’s answers down, Takeda’s cell vibrated in his jacket pocket. Excusing himself from the Academy students and instructor, he stepped to the edge of the room and pulled the phone free. He frowned, seeing the call being from his commanding officer himself, and quickly answered the call. “Marshal, sir? This is Major Takeda. What do you need?”

“Takeda, have you seen any news yet?”

Takeda hesitated, knowing he had been in the Academy all day. It was only 1:00 pm in Juneau, but it was 5:00 am the next day in Hong Kong, Takeda suddenly realized. “No, sir, I haven’t. Has something happened? Should I return?”

The Marshal sighed heavily on the other side of the line and Takeda suddenly knew something was wrong.  _ Terribly _ wrong. “Sir, what’s happened?” he pushed, forcing the rising worry back down his throat. “A kaiju?”

“Yes,” the Marshal eventually murmured quietly. “A category four, only our second ever. I sent Beta out-”

“But, sir, isn’t Zulu still under repair?!” Takeda questioned hurriedly, assuming only two Jaegers had gone after a category four. That alone was bad enough. “Did you send a team from Alpha with them?!”

“No, I wasn’t able to,” the Marshal said after a moment. Takeda also paused at that, balking. Did the Marshal of the Hong Kong Shatterdome just have to think about his answer? No, it must have been his imagination… Or, he hoped it was.

“And?” the second-in-command asked quietly, realizing all the Rookies were staring at him from the middle of the room.

“... Akiteru is dead.”

Takeda froze. Every muscle stiffened to condensing point, his spine rigid. He had to have heard that wrong. “R-repeat that?”

A sigh again. “Tsukishima Akiteru is dead, Takeda. His brother is in critical condition, as well as Sugawara and Sawamura both having to be hospitalized when Echo had to take point. There’s practically only scraps left of Fury.”

_ God Almighty, _ Takeda’s mind finally computed. The top pilot in the world was dead.  _ Dead. _ How… Now both the original pilots of Fury Alamo were gone. This was bad,  _ very _ bad. Fury had been the figurehead of the Jaeger Program, bringing in new pilots and support like a tidal wave. It was state of the art, its pilots the best of the best. How could it just be  _ gone? _ What would they do without that sort of strength on their side? As of now, only two Jaegers were operational, with Juno Raptor and Zulu Vega having both been out for repairs in the last two weeks. Now they didn’t have Fury Alamo, and Echo Sterling was joining the ranks of repair for both Jaeger and pilots.  _ My God, we’ll need these Rookies more than ever…  _

After speaking a little longer with the Marshal, Takeda hung up and slowly turned to the Rookies. They all looked curiously at him, slight fear of the heated conversation Marshal and Major had just exchanged. Takeda sucked in a breath, held himself as professionally as he could, and strode towards the young Rookies.

“Hong Kong just had a kaiju attack,” he announced, knowing he would just have to come out and say it. He knew some of the kids in front of him had been fans of Fury and her pilots, having enrolled in the first place because of her. “Strike Group Beta was sent to intercept the category four, nicknamed Reaper.”

The whole group shuttered at the name, their whispers about an attack being silenced with just one word. Takeda’s face became solemn. “The threat was eliminated, but at a great cost to our Rangers.”

Suddenly, he balked at telling them who had gone down. He could see their faces, their expressions of slight terror rising. He knew it would be too much. No one would want to be a pilot if they knew the top Jaeger in the world had fallen. Instead, he resorted to another tactic. “The Hong Kong Shatterdome will be greatly requiring new talent within its walls. You twenty are now are the best hope for the Mark IV’s. In the coming days, I will be giving you the official roster of soon-to-be Rangers we will be putting through our Examination. If you pass, and you have a co-pilot, you will be the pilots of a Jaeger. I thank you all for your dedication and hard work for the P.P.D.C. You are all highly appreciated and valued, whether or not you become a pilot.” He bowed to them, the traditional Japanese way. They bowed in response, though most were not accustomed to it.

With some comfort given to him, Takeda dismissed himself and headed for the military jet awaiting him. He had no time to waste; he would have to come up with several pilots in the next forty-eight hours, as per instruction of Marshal Ukai.


	2. The Second

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As tensions rise in the Shatterdome, scheming politics, mental trauma and new pilots begin to surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, yay! A lot more politics in this one, but please enjoy all the same!

Kuroo saluted loosely when he entered the debriefing room two days later. Kozume came behind him, following suit. All higher ups in the Hong Kong Shatterdome had been assembled in the room, pilots and officials alike, as well as the K- and J-Science departments, Head J-Techs as well. But, Kuroo and Kozume had brought two extra people along with them, proudly coming behind the pilots.

“Rangers Kuroo and Kozume,” the Marshal addressed them, nodding for them to take a seat as he eyed their companions, but made no comment. “Now, is that everyone? Yes? Alright, then let’s get this done. Major?”

Takeda jumped to attention at the Marshal’s side, nodding to the group assembled. “Yes, well, as most of you know, I travelled to the Jaeger Academy two days ago and assessed the Rookies that had just graduated. There were some big standouts, but I’ve compiled a list of candidates for the Mark IV’s, as well as having paired them off already. Here they are.”

On the HUD display in the middle of the table came up the list, pictures beside them. Kozume instantly perked, seeing his former drift partner among them. Kuroo smiled a little at his partner’s reaction across the link and examined the candidate’s, Hinata Shouyou, profile.

“Man, that orange has got some serious talent,” Bokuto Koutarou, pilot of Endeavour Aurora, whistled from Kuroo’s other side, nodding in approval. “That’s a big drift range he’s got.” His co-pilot, Akaashi Keiji, murmured his agreement.

“The top candidate looks good too,” another pilot pointed out, Yaku Morisuke, pilot of Tau Grizzly.

“A kicker,” Haiba Lev, his co-pilot, added, a ridiculous little smile on his face. “One of your top picks, I suppose, Major?”

“Yes,” Takeda nodded when the attention was returned to him. “Those two are actually the ones I thought would be paired well together, considering the skill of one and the range of the other. Few have been able to drift extremely well with Kageyama Tobio, but I believe that the range of candidate Hinata Shouyou should allow for a good drift; in theory, that is.”

“That other pair you’ve made also looks strong,” Kuroo now commented, examining the second set of co-pilot candidates. “A little on the scary side, one of them, but strong nonetheless.”

Takeda smiled at the reference. “Ah, Aone Takanobu and Futakuchi Kenji. I’ll agree, Aone-kun was a little hard to get answers out of when I spoke with him, but the bond he and Futakuchi-kun already had was strong. They had both stated they would pilot with no one else, no matter the circumstances. Apparently, they’ve only ever drifted with each other, have a 100% drift score together.” Kuroo nodded his approval.

“What about that one? The girl?”

Everyone glanced up in surprise, only now realizing the pilots of Zulu Vega were present. Obviously, their expressions were solemn and in mourning, having lost their command team and most of their Strike Group being in emergency state for the last two days. They were slouched in their seats, two of the longest running pilots in the Shatterdome. It had been Matsukawa Issei who had spoken, a tight expression on his face. His partner, Hanamaki Takahiro, was silent beside him. When no one answered Matsukawa, his expression darkened in irritation and he said, “Why doesn’t she have a partner?”

“U-um, well, you see,” Takeda stuttered out in response finally. “She was a special case. I wanted her to be a pilot, but the one she would have been paired with was Hinata-kun. I wanted to keep her here until we could find her a suitable co-pilot.” The Major glanced up, eager to see if his answer had sated the pilot.

Instead, Matsukawa scowled and shifted authoritatively in his seat. “Why’s she so special, then? We don’t exactly have the capital to spend on a  _ maybe _ here. Our funding has already been restricted to results, and I’d say we’re producing some pretty piss-poor ones.”

The twenty-five year old pilot looked tired as he spoke politics, as good as he was at them. Maybe the exhaustion was from no sleep the last two days and stay on vigil in the hospital wing, or perhaps he truly was unhappy with how this gathering was going already. Takeda took this into account, duly noting that Hanamaki remained just as upset beside his partner, and the rest of the pilots were beginning to give slight nods of acknowledgment to the Zulu pilots’ suggestion. “Rookie Yachi Hitoka was one of the only candidates among the top twenty that had drifted with Hinata-kun, though their drift scores together were not as good as I believe Hinata-kun’s and Kageyama-kun’s score can become. Part of the reason I wanted to bring Yachi-san here was to ensure a backup pilot for Hinata-kun. He is the one I would like to become a Ranger the most among the candidates.”

Matsukawa’s perceptiveness caught on, sensing the honorific as well. “And the other part of the reason?” he pushed further, cocking an eyebrow with his arms crossing over his chest.

Takeda opened his mouth, searching for the words to explain why the young female had been chosen without a pilot. But, his tongue lost its use and he had to glance to the Marshal at his side, helpless, instead. The oldest man in the room sighed and resigned himself to explaining in his Major’s stead. Leaning forward on the table, the Marshal addressed Matsukawa directly. “Yachi Hitoka was chosen because she has a specific set of skills,” he began, clasping his hands on the table. “I chose her myself; Takeda chose the others after I approved them. I wanted yachi to become a Ranger once she found the right co-pilot. She would be an extremely good asset to have on our side, especially when it comes to the real deal. As well…”

The Marshal hesitated, and Kuroo leaned forward a little. Kozume gave him a sidelong glance at the anticipation vibrating across the link between them. Was it actually happening without the help of the pilot? Or… No, that wasn’t the sort of look the old man would have if it was happening by itself. The Marshal was merely hesitating on how to explain something, but there was no doubt in his eyes about his position. None at all.

“Yachi was a personal student under Captain Ukai Keishin.”

Most people in the room started at that, knowing that name as well as they knew the name of Fury Alamo. Yaku and Haiba the most, seeing as Ukai Keishin was one of the original pilots of their Jaeger. Haiba leapt to his feet, standing to his full height and put his hands on the table to steady his sudden ascent. “Captain Ukai?!” he exclaimed, personal emotions clouding his face.

Kuroo frowned at the sudden development. Ukai Keishin had a personal student? That in itself was surprising enough, especially for the members of Strike Group Alpha. He was the Marshal’s grandson, and no weak man. Though, it would explain why this yachi girl was so important. She could be very useful as well… 

Subtly, Kozume leaned closer to Kuroo, indicating his agreement and willingness to follow Kuroo’s forming ideas.

Takeda had finally sighed out in relief, because curiosity for this candidate had overtaken Zulu’s pilots’ suspicions. That suspicion had been for nothing, of course, but Takeda wanted to avoid the bad side of the Beta pilots for as long as he could. They needed to mend more than they needed to tear others down. “Yes, Captain Ukai,” the Major clarified for Haiba, whose eyes widened even more and the smallest of smiles cracked on his partially Russian features. “He’s told me that she was a mismatched Rookie, drifting through the Academy until he took her under his instruction. She still attended all her official classes and drills, but the Captain gave her specialized classes. In other words, she is practically the most experienced and prepared of the candidates.”

“Did he give a reason as to why he did such a thing?” Yaku inquired, pulling his co-pilot back down into his seat as he spoke. “Obviously it’s odd for him to decide to even go to the Academy in the first place.”

“He didn’t say why explicitly, but he did tell me that he had been looking to pass his knowledge to someone eventually,” Takeda explained. “Why it was her, I couldn’t tell you.”

Kuroo squirreled that information away for use at a better time.

“Well,” the Marshal finally cut across the conversation, promptly moving on. “I also wanted to address the situation of Strike Group Beta.”

A solemn and heavy silence fell over the group, especially those who knew the Tsukishima brothers well. Matsukawa and Hanamaki practically fell back into a small bout of depression, their feelings reverberating off each other and amplifying until neither wanted to be the least bit indifferent. “The doctors have given told me that Tsukishima Kei will live, but his mental trauma may not allow him to ever pilot again. As for Zulu Vega,” a small glance in Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s direction, “it would be best if your Jaeger and Echo Sterling were repaired as quickly as possible. Until our Mark IV’s are launched at the end of the year, Tau Grizzly and Endeavour Aurora will take up missions. As things are, Zulu and Juno will be the two Jaegers that are repaired first, so they will make up a temporary Strike Group with Tau and Endeavour. As soon as Echo is fully repaired, they will take command of Beta.”

Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s mood darkened even more.

“And the Mark IV’s?” Kuroo now asked, setting his plan into motion. Kozume sat fast beside him. “How will they be set up in the Strike Groups? I mean, aren’t there four under construction?”

The Marshal nodded to the pilot. “Those four have all been named as of now; Helios Thunder, Victor Tango, Nova Electra, and Solar Fox. If all goes well, the five candidates Major Takeda has given us will be piloting them. They will be making up their own Strike Groups, and one will be placed in Beta as well.”

Kuroo scoffed a little at that, wondering why the Marshal couldn’t count. “Sir, you need eight pilots at the very least for four Jaegers, not  _ five. _ Do you plan to find more in three months?”

“Yes, we do,” the Marshal snapped back, becoming irritated by Kuroo’s attitude. Kuroo allowed himself the smallest of smirks, knowing this was going perfectly for him. “We have two spare pilots that are on reserve and ready at any time to take on a co-pilot. We’ll be fine.”

“Excuse me,” Kozume finally said, taking the burden of the Marshal’s intensifying glare, “but that only makes seven. Who is your eighth pilot?”

The Marshal hesitated again, balking at the indirect accusation as he grit his teeth. Even Takeda now realized they were missing an eighth pilot, not having been told what was going to happen with that. All eyes fell upon the Marshal, and he was forced to spit out his secret. “Tsukishima is the eighth pilot.”

Literally everyone exploded at that, especially the pilots. Shouting ensued as anger rose and accusations were thrown like daggers at each other. The Zulu pilots were practically screaming, pointing at the Marshal like he was a guilty convict, and Kuroo had also leapt to his feet, yelling incoherent things in the old man’s direction. Make Tsukishima Kei the eighth pilot? Was he out of his  _ mind?! _ The kid had only lost his brother two days ago before the damned Marshal wanted to make him pilot with someone else, and in a new Jaeger no less? That was like spitting in his face and saying he had no value, except to fit into his position to the Marshal’s liking.

“You want to kill him, don’t you?!” Matsukawa roared, storming around the table to the Marshal. When the pilot went after Ukai, his co-pilot appeared to hold him back, despite feeling as enraged as Matsukawa. “You fucking murderer! You sent Akiteru out to his death and now want his brother dead! Takahiro,  _ let go, goddammit!” _

_ “Everyone, calm down!” _

Everyone quieted down as Takeda screamed across the shouting, a shadow over his face. He was just as shocked as everyone else, his own anger blooming in his chest at his commanding officer. But this was no time to go at each other’s throats for it. When he had everyone’s attention, including the Marshal’s, he said, “What happened, happened! We can’t change that, for God’s sake, as much as we want to!” He purposefully looked around at each person in the room. “Marshal Ukai is the commanding officer in this Shatterdome, and if he says a Ranger is going to pilot, than he’s damn well going to pilot! His word is  _ law!” _

“Actually, about that.”

One of Kuroo and Kozume’s companions now made themselves known. The Tanaka siblings, Saeko and her brother Ryuunosuke, stood tall behind Juno Raptor’s pilots. Saeko, Chief J-Tech, had spoken. “I’d like to insist Marshal Ukai step down.”

Instead of an explosion from the people around the table like last time, the group was suddenly intently listening. Takeda gaped, his words utterly thrown aside, and the Marshal’s face hardened. “Marshal,” Saeko continued, “I know that leading this Shatterdome has been your position for close to two decades, but you have never piloted. You don’t understand what it’s like to be out there with the kaiju and having to mentally bind with your co-pilot in order to keep breathing.”

“Neither do you,” the Marshal spat back, though in a pathetic attempt to save himself. It only worsened the situation.

“No, I don’t,” Saeko agreed. “But I’m a J-Tech. I’m the second best thing. I’ve been working with pilots for the better part of my life, including the first Fury Alamo team.” A sudden respectful silence for those two fallen Rangers. “You may think having Kei become a pilot of one of the Mark IV’s is a political decision, and that it will gain the Mark IV’s support and funding purely because he’s piloting one. But it wasn’t Kei that made Fury famous and our figurehead. It wasn’t even Akiteru or his original co-pilot. It was the fact that they had an enormously strong bond that allowed them to battle the kaiju unimpeded. They saved millions of lives over the years.  _ Millions. _ And your decision to send Beta out alone left Fury broken, left Kei broken. The world saw the most supported Jaeger  _ ever  _ literally fall to pieces. And that is your own fault, no one else’s. Not the Major’s, not the J-Techs’, not the pilots’.  _ Your _ fault alone.

“And now, after having ruined the world’s confidence in the Jaeger Program, I am asking… no,  _ begging you _ to step down and allow someone else to take the mantle. Someone who has piloted before and knows what it’s like.” She paused, purely for dramatic effect. “Someone like your grandson, for example.”

 

***

 

"So... What happens now?"

As they walked along, Saeko hooked her younger brother's neck under her arm and pulled him close as if to tell him a secret. "I'll tell you what's gonna happen now," she said, grinning. Her heart was pounding furiously from the intensity of the situation. "The Major brings Captain Ukai here and this place gets the makeover it's been needing. Things can only get better from here, Ryuu, I'm telling you."

At those words, her brother also began to show his dangerous grin, indicating he knew exactly what Saeko meant. He began chattering on about how he was going to give the good news to Yamamoto, Chief of J-Science and also her brother's good friend, before he disappeared down a corridor in the direction of the J-Science department. As her eyes followed in her brother's wake until she was alone in Block F of the personal appartments, she allowed the smile to fade from her face and be replaced by a look of slight daze. How had such a loose plan even worked? How did they pull it off? Not that she was complaining, oh no, but  _ how?! _ Kuroo had come to her just after her brother had, both saying things needed to change and that she, only second in the Shatterdome to Marshal and Major, was the one that could bring it about.

Saeko's brother had ranted for a good half hour about the fact that something like this tragedy could never be allowed to happen again, considering he had put his blood, sweat and tears into the building, maintenance and repair of Fury Alamo for the last six years of his life. Her brother had always been a bit of a genius, having gone through condensed university in a matter of a year and a half, coming straight out with a prestigious degree into the Jaeger program. Seeing a single bad decision by an old man practically destroy all of that was devastating, to say the least. No one else should ever have to go through it like her brother had.

Kuroo had had a similar argument, though from a more personal stance. Akiteru had been his friend as well as Saeko’s, and any Ranger knew what it would be like to lose their co-pilot and partner. He had implored her to try and understand how Akiteru’s brother would be feeling by having her imagine losing her own brother like that. Maybe it was the fact that Saeko’s brother had come to her prior to Kuroo, or the way Kuroo had described what it would be like to lose a co-pilot, but Saeko was more than convinced to help them both. Kuroo has also been very avid about bringing her brother once she told the Ranger the three of them shared the same perspective. Her brother could find support in the Fury J-Tech team, along with Yamamoto and J-Science, and then they could take their complaint up to the Marshal himself.

But still,  _ how? _ Like Saeko had said during the meeting; the Marshal had held his position since the beginning of the war. He wasn’t someone who could just be swayed to voluntarily step down and allow someone else to take his spot on top. Perhaps it was because Takeda would be convincing the now former Marshal’s grandson to take up to responsibility. Part of her want for the older Ukai to be replaced was because she could see the younger Ukai being the replacement; someone who had actually piloted during the war and knew exactly what it would be like for the current Rangers. Someone who didn’t have any prejudice against the Rangers, or any favouritism, and someone who would be far easier to relate to. With Akiteru now dead - she shuttered at the thought, ever so slightly - the new pilots coming in for the Mark IV’s would need his sort of experience. His guidance would make them better all around, especially with the Yachi girl having been his personal student.

Suddenly, Saeko snapped from her thoughts, realizing where her feet had been taking her. She frowned, though knew on the inside that this would happen eventually, especially with her deep seated affection for Akiteru. This boy was now her last connection to the original Fury Alamo team.

Nurses and aides still bustled around the room, Tsukishima Kei having been placed at the top of their priorities, but Saeko was allowed a few minutes with him. When she stepped inside, she finally saw the damage of losing his brother and having to pilot Fury Alamo (which had a history of being enormously cruel to a single pilot; Saeko knew that all too well) alone had done to him.

He lay practically limp in the hospital bed, bandages wrapped around the majority of his left side. His eyes were closed, sunken, and he looked oddly thin and drained, like his body was attempting to show that he had lost his other half. His breathing was shallow and silent, his chest barely shifting as the air entered and exited his lungs at a snail’s pace. In her mind’s eye, Saeko could see Akiteru in the same position three years prior, just after having lost the Small Giant to Fury’s brutal neural handshake. Unlike his brother, he had no significant injuries, due to having only been knocked from the drift during the fight. But everything else was the same; the darkness under his eyes, the fragility of his very bones. It had been obvious that Akiteru was then half of a whole, just as Kei was now. Suddenly, she realized why it was so cruel to allow one pilot to live without the other.

Saeko shook away the illusion of the past, focussing on the present and the younger Tsukishima brother instead.

“Kei?” she murmured, not remembering if the nurses had told her if the boy had awoken yet or not. When she didn’t receive a visible or audible answer, she repeated his name once more. This time, his eyes cracked open ever so slightly and turned to her under the shadow of his eyelids. She could see the redness of them, and could also see the dry and salty streaks down his face.

“Tanaka-san,” he croaked, catching Saeko off guard at the pure weakness resonating from his voice. Was this really the same Tsukishima Kei from two days ago who had sent a snicker and witty remark back at her through the comms when she told him to actually pay attention to the kaiju in front of him? He had always been so proud, so noble, so different from Akiteru that it was like comparing Yin and Yang to each other.

“Hey, kid,” Saeko returned. She felt the bile rise in her throat. “I’ve got good news for you.”

Tsukishima’s expression never faltered, and Saeko knew nothing was good news to him anymore. “What is it,” he asked quietly with literally no emotion in his words. That alone felt like a rip at Saeko’s tough heart.

“Marshal Ukai stepped down,” she told him, setting herself down in the armchair beside Tsukishima’s bed. His eyes left her, closing again. That was probably from the pain, though Saeko didn’t want to know if it was the physical or the mental pain. “His grandson, Captain Ukai Keishin, is going to be his replacement. Do you know what that means, kid?”

His silence stretched, and Saeko thought for a moment that he had fallen unconscious, but he finally said, “I’m still going to pilot, aren’t I?”

That took Saeko aback. That wasn’t the answer that she was looking for at all. But how had he known that the ex-Marshal was going to make him pilot again? The meeting had only finished an hour ago, and Saeko didn’t even know how long Tsukishima had been awake. Who had told him? Besides, Captain Ukai wouldn’t make him continue to be a servicing Ranger. That was part of the point of replacing the Marshal. The kid didn’t have to worry about piloting with someone else, as Akiteru had been forced through. He would be able to retire from military service, go through intensive rehab, then integrate back into society.  _ That’s _ what he was supposed to do next.

“Why do you say that?” Saeko asked instead.

“Because I’m a Tsukishima, a pilot of Fury Alamo, and once you have any relation to Fury, you stay. Isn’t that right, Tanaka-san? Because Fury is the heart of the Jaeger Program, and will suck everything from you until you have a single minded devotion to her and the Jaegers. She has that effect on everyone. Especially when Akiteru piloted; when his original co-pilot was with him. Tell me I’m wrong, Tanaka-san. Tell me that your entire life hasn’t come to revolve around this Shatterdome because Fury reeled you in.”

The boy definitely wasn’t wrong, and Saeko knew it. Fury Alamo had practically become the reason anyone applied to the Shatterdome, or enrolled in the Jaeger Academy in Alaska. Hell, even  _ she _ had accepted her job at the Shatterdome because of Fury. Her brother too. Anyone who had joined the Jaeger program prior to Fury’s debut had joined because of Tau Grizzly, back when it was piloted by Ukai Keishin and his co-pilot, Shimada Makoto. But, even then, it had been Fury who raked in more people than Tau could have ever dreamt of bringing in.

“But, please tell the Marshal to shove that back up his ass.”

Saeko snorts suddenly, partially because she found that remark  _ horrendously  _ funny, and partially because this is the Tsukishima she remembers. Or, at least she thought it was, because when she opened her mouth to return with something witty, she catches how deadly serious Tsukishima is.

It takes her a few moments to regain her bearings after seeing his harsh eyes staring over at her. “The new marshal won’t put you through that,” Saeko defends furiously, feeling Tsukishima’s sudden hostility. “He isn’t his grandfather; he knows what it’s like to pilot, and his sort of experience is what this base needs. He will  _ never _ make as stupid a decision as his grandfather has, I can promise you that.”

Tsukishima eyes her for a few more moments, analyzing her answer, before turning his gaze towards the ceiling above and closing his eyes. “You know,” he murmurs slightly through the uncomfortable silence (mostly on Saeko’s end, though). “I was still connected to my brother, up until the very moment his heart stopped.”

Saeko becomes rigid at his words. She had explicitly not mentioned Akiteru since stepping into the room for a reason. The mental trauma of losing his only living family was hard enough, but the fact that he had also been drifting, had been mentally  _ one _ with his brother when it had happened, was worse. Saeko couldn’t even  _ begin _ to imagine what it was like for him, though she had seen such instances in the past and knew enough of the effects; it was like they had to live half a life, like they were only partially functioning. There was sometimes intense brain damage, other times serious personality changes, and even a complete loss of sanity. Though she hadn’t seen any serious side effects in Tsukishima as of yet, who was to say he didn’t become vegetative tomorrow? Go beserk from the mental agony and become violent? Saeko had been attempting to avoid these outcomes in the immediate by not bringing up the elder Tsukishima at all. But now here he was, torturing  _ himself _ by speaking of Akiteru on his own will.

When Saeko didn’t say anything, Tsukishima continued his painful words. “It was kind of like he suddenly realized what was going to happen, though it was still moments before. He started throwing all these memories and thoughts he had kept to himself across the drift, completely overwhelming me. It was some last ditch effort to fix everything bad between us crammed into a few seconds. I had looked at him, confused as  _ shit _ because I knew my brother didn’t get sentimental during a fight. But… When I saw him staring back at me with those  _ desperate eyes _ … I could tell he knew. I could feel it across the drift, too. Then the conn-pod practically snapped in half, and I watched as that kaiju tore my brother away from me. I heard him  _ scream. _ ” Tsukishima suddenly began trembling, and the beeping from his heart monitor increased. “I felt his fear through the drift and that he  _ didn’t want to die. _ ” His words became choked. “Then the kaiju swallowed him alive, and I felt exactly what he felt. First the teeth ripped away his left side,” he indicated his own bandaged side, “before the stomach acid ate away at him.  _ And all I could hear was him screaming! _ ”

The beeping suddenly became wildly erratic, and Saeko leapt to her feet in a mixture of horror and surprise. Nurses and doctors rushed in, shoving the technician back. She stumbled (gratefully) away, but couldn’t tear her eyes from the usually reserved, judging and quiet boy she had come to know in the last three years. Tsukishima Kei lay flailing and  _ shrieking his lungs out _ , eyes feral and focussing on nothing but some distant memory on replay in his mind’s eyes. It was like some horrid natural disaster.

Saeko finally bolted from the room when Tsukishima’s eyes locked with hers, and she felt as if it were her fault.


	3. The Third

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pilots are introduced to their Jaegers, and a very important meeting takes place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, third chapter! Let's get right into it! Thank you so much for all your guys' support thus far :)

It was not love at first sight when the Rangers-in-training entered the Shatterdome of Hong Kong for the first time; quite the opposite, actually.

There were only five of them, Hinata had realized out of the twelve thousand, that made it to rank of Ranger. That thought had quelled the raging fear in his gut by just the slightest proportion. He was among the best of the best, soon to become a hero and weapon of humanity.

But that wasn’t quite exciting anymore, was it?

They had been informed, after they had begun the flight from Alaska to Hong Kong two days before, that Tsukishima Akiteru was killed in action. The very same Tsukishima Akiteru whom had piloted the legendary Fury Alamo for the past eight years, the co-pilot of Hinata’s beloved Small Giant. Hinata could vividly remember how the inside of the cargo plane had suddenly gone deathly quiet, and how he had felt like a soldier of the army being told he was going on a suicide mission moments before the drop. The anxiety of all the Rangers-in-training had only steadily increased as the flight continued for the next ten hours. How had such an atrocity been allowed to happen? Why had a single kaiju been able to decimate Strike Group Beta of Hong Kong like they weren’t international saviours?

Perhaps this was the reason all five of the new recruits cringed at the sight of Bay Six, holding the remnants of Fury, and a practically crucified Echo Sterling as it was repaired at the side the heap that was once Fury, which was almost completely disassembled and ready to be sent off to Oblivion Bay, the Jaeger graveyard. Hinata could feel something practically cave within him upon the retch worthy scene; he was desperately hoping it wasn’t his resolve.

On top of the tour, he felt horribly played that he was to become the co-pilot of the high and mighty Kageyama Tobio, top of their entire year out of twelve thousand hopefuls. They had never spoken, let alone test drift together, so what had been the basis reasoning for their partnership? Hinata knew he himself was capable of drifting with a wide range of people, but there had been heavy rumours of Kageyama being able to drift with the most select of people, enough to count on one hand alone (barely enough). Hinata was undoubtedly appalled by the facts, _and_ that it was known fact Kageyama was an enormous douche.

And Yachi; that was a factor Hinata hadn’t been expecting. Yachi had still made it through the final cut, even without a co-pilot. Why the higher-ups hadn’t paired him and Yachi was lost to Hinata, but they had still brought her, even without a co-pilot? That was almost unheard of, one of the famous cases being Tsukishima Akiteru’s younger brother, who had been put through intensive training without a co-pilot purely because he was destined to become his brother’s co-pilot when the Small Giant fell in battle. So who was going to pilot with Yachi once it came down to actually getting inside a Jaeger and drifting together?

“Here we are, Bays Eight and Nine.”

Hinata snapped back to reality at the sound of Takeda’s announcement. The second-in-command had been their tour guide for the day, the Marshal apparently unable to take up the duty. That didn’t matter much to Hinata because he had come to quite like the Major of the Shatterdome, soft spoken and encouraging, but sharp and authoritative when he needed to be. After leaving Bay Seven, the final of the Mark III bays (containing Zulu Vega), Takeda had brought them into their bays, the ones where they would be spending obscene amounts of time.

“Bay Eight will be the home of Victor Tango and Nova Electra,” Takeda explained as they entered through the connecting hatch between Bays Seven and Eight. Aone, Futakuchi and Yachi all perked at that, Hinata seeing that the prospect of seeing their Jaegers was exciting them. That meant Hinata’s soon-to-be Jaeger, Solar Fox, was in Bay Eight. A while longer before he could see the machine he would be piloting until he retired… Or was killed.

The lighting from Bay Eight was much better than the other seven bays the group had been in. It was a newer attachment to the only Shatterdome in operation, along with Bays Nine and Ten. It was also considerably bigger, most likely because height and weight had been added onto the Mark IV’s compared to their predecessors. And, despite Hinata’s intensifying fear of piloting, seeing Nova Electra and Victor Tango was awe-inspiring.

Victor was enormous and bulky, dwarfing the Mark I’s and II’s with ease. He had a different look than any other Jaeger Hinata had ever seen; the conn-pod remained hidden beneath the bulk of the power core, which sat atop the Jaeger in place of a head. It was most likely a distracter for kaiju, as well as the main power source of Victor’s obvious immense power and strength. Though, Hinata could tell from the look of Aone and Futakuchi’s new Jaeger (both of which had sparkling eyes upon seeing Victor, gaping in surprise, anticipation and excitement) that it wasn’t made for speed; only strength.

Takeda went on to explain the retractable close range claws within the forearm of the bright silver and dark teal Jaeger, as well as how this conn-pod was the most protected in the entirety of the Shatterdome. No kaiju would be able to penetrate it unless it ripped away the power core; unfortunately, this also had a side effect of limited vision to the pilots once inside, but that was what a Strike Group was for.

Next was Nova Electra. Though not on par with Victor in height and bulk, Nova stood tall and lean, a charcoal colour covering the entirety of her frame save a bright white P.P.D.C. symbol on her shoulder plating. She, unlike Victor, was obviously made for speed and agility. On her back were Mark IV exclusive ‘Angel Wings,’ immensely sized stabilizers for aerodynamic burst combat. They made the already beauty of a Jaeger look like some sentinel fallen angel among the rigidness of the Shatterdome. It fit Yachi perfectly, in Hinata’s opinion.

Takeda suddenly smiled a little upon spotting someone coming towards them. “Ah, Yachi-kun, here comes your co-pilot!”

The group started at that, especially a suddenly nervous Yachi at Hinata’s side, and all glanced in the direction of Takeda’s gaze. Hinata frowned for a moment, but then spotted who it was as they came out of the crowd towards Takeda.

She wasn’t very tall, though her presence seemed to make stand her as tall as a Jaeger. She wore glasses, clarifying her stunning dark eyes, and those were framed by her lovely black hair, a complete contrast to Yachi’s bright hair. She smiled slightly, and Hinata felt she was the most beautiful being to ever walk the Earth.

“Takeda-sensei,” Yachi’s co-pilot said in an angelic voice, nodding to the Major. She then looked to the Rangers-in-training, who all gulped under her soft gaze. Hinata knew full well there was a blush on his cheeks. Her gaze then fell on Yachi specifically, and she dipped her head gracefully. “You must be Yachi Hitoka. My name in Shimizu Kiyoko, a Ranger and your co-pilot, as it seems. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Yachi was also burning bright under Shimizu’s eyes, and stuttered out a response eventually, causing Shimizu to gave a small laugh. So _this_ was Yachi’s co-pilot. Now that Hinata looked closer at Shimizu (after getting over his temporary trance from her beauty), she looked a little older than any of his group, save Takeda, maybe in her mid-twenties or so. She must have graduated from the Academy a few years ahead of him and his group, perhaps around the same time as the younger Tsukishima brother?

(Then again, the younger Tsukishima had entered the Jaeger Academy when he was seventeen, less than a month after he had graduated high school, like many people who had enrolled.)

“I was just taking them around for the tour,” Takeda explained to Shimizu once introductions had been put forth. “Showing them their Jaegers and such.”

Shimizu nodded in understanding, returning to her professional demeanour. She then addressed Hinata and the recruits. “The Hong Kong Shatterdome welcomes you all. I’m hoping - and fairly certain - that you can deliver the results this Shatterdome needs.” She bowed slightly, then gave Yachi a small smile and nod before taking her leave.

The remainder of Bay Eight was J-Tech stations, as well as the two dozen V-50 Jumphawks that would transport Victor and Nova for ten mile radius points of defense.The enormous bay gates led out to the external docking, as well as auxiliary doors that led out into the main hangar of the Shatterdome. All ten bays opened into main hangar, with the addition of their bay gates. This was most likely the reason, Hinata thought to himself as they continued through the last bit of Bay Eight, that the Hong Kong Shatterdome had always been the biggest; every other Shatterdome harboured only about four or five bays at the maximum.

As the group headed through the Bay Eight and Nine connecting hatch, Hinata felt his anticipation suddenly rise. He would be seeing his Jaeger for the first time! Ebbing away in the back of his mind was the terror of dying while piloting because of being informed about Fury, but Hinata did his best to ignore it.

“I think you and Shimizu-san will drift really well, Yachi,” Hinata suddenly said to his friend as they went through the short tunnel. Yachi started at the sudden words from the bleach haired young man, blushing ever so slightly, but then smiled and nodded hopefully.

“Yes, I think so to,” she told him, looking back ahead as they walked alongside each other. “She seems pretty easy to drift with, as well as being so nice.” Her smile brightened, just a little. Hinata knew she had that same fear as him, instilled when they had learned of Fury’s demise.

Hinata was suddenly a little jealous that Yachi was excited to be working with her new co-pilot. He, on the other hand, was anything but. His own co-pilot hadn’t spoken a word to him since they had been paired together, and they hadn’t even had a formal introduction with each other. What kind of partnership was that? It was almost like Kageyama was _avoiding_ the fact that they would be stuck together for a good portion of the rest of their lives. Though, Hinata couldn’t lie; he also wasn’t too excited about that certain prospect. It would be a miracle of the two of them could even create a valid enough _drift_ together at this point.

Hinata stole a glance at his partner before they entered Bay Nine. _Is he anticipating seeing Solar Fox as much as I am? Does he even care?_

The taller man looked impassive enough, holding himself with a professional and authoritative air. That alone pissed Hinata off, so he glanced stubbornly back to the doors ahead of them at the end of the hatch as Takeda unlocked them and heaved them open.

For the first time in the last two days, Hinata felt true excitement and anticipation flutter into his very bones.

Solar Fox was lethe, his black and orange matte colouring greatly contrasting the previous two Mark IV’s the group had seen. The first thing that came to Hinata was that Solar looked the most human of any Jaeger he had ever seen. Most were bulky, limbs too awkward to be on par with the grace of a human. But Solar looked as if he could do anything a human could, better even. He stood as tall as stocky Zulu Vega, shorter than most Jaegers, but still obviously packed one hell of a punch. But it wasn’t the power and ferocity in the look of Solar that caught Hinata’s eye: it was the fact that Hinata could immediately become attached to an enormous mech, hundreds of feet larger than himself, and no life pumping through him like Hinata had blood. But the young pilot couldn’t help but feel anything other than attachment and instant affection for it, no strings attached. Solar was…

“Perfect…” Kageyama spoke quietly for the first time since entering the Shatterdome, saying the exact word Hinata had been thinking. Wide-eyed, both in awe and surprise, Hinata glanced up at his co-pilot, who mirrored the bleach haired man’s movements. Small smiles of anticipation cracked across both their faces and they looked back at their Jaeger, too many emotions overflowing in their hearts to even put to words.

The five pilots were too engrossed in their shiny new Jaegers to see the fourth and final Mark IV Jaeger residing in the far end of Bay Nine, the Jaeger whose pilots hadn’t been announced publicly to the Shatterdome as of yet. He stood as the tallest of any Jaeger in existence, main colouring as charcoal as Solar’s, but his accents were bright gold, shining brightly thanks to a former Fury Alamo J-Tech. This Jaeger was unique, having taken pieces of a recycled Jaeger in order to become what was now known as Helios Thunder.

None of the five pilots realized that standing tall at the other end of the bay was none other than the reincarnation of the legendary Fury Alamo.

 

***

 

“What makes you believe I’m going to just _take_ my grandfather’s place because you asked nicely?”

Takeda sighed. He knew this would happen, especially with the current situation. It had only been two weeks since the incident, and the younger Ukai had known the elder Tsukishima since Fury Alamo had been launched seven years ago. The two had even kept in close contact since Ukai and his co-pilot retired three years ago, after the first Fury incident.

But Takeda had known the Ukais for far longer, and his influence was far larger over his old friend.

“No, because your grandfather has already stepped down and I’ve been left in charge of the Shatterdome,” Takeda answered Ukai’s brainless question. The major shot a glare in the captain’s direction as they sat opposite to each other. “We both know that I was trained to take on secondary decisions and advise my superiors, Keishin. _That’s_ my job. Not holding the life of close to a million people in my hands.”

“When you put it like that, how can I possibly refuse?” Ukai growled sarcastically, rolling his eyes and glancing away from Takeda’s hard gaze.

“I’m serious, Keishin-”

“So am I,” Ukai interjected, sighing. “I can’t just leave my post to become the Marshal, as much as I’d even like to. But the last time I was in that Shatterdome, it was at my subordinate’s funeral. Now, I’ll be going there for another funeral. So tell me, Ittetsu, how many more _goddamn funerals_ must I attend before I never have to lay eyes on that Shatterdome again?” Ukai shook his head, rubbing his eyes with sudden exhaustion. “I’m not going back once Akiteru’s funeral is over. I won’t. I _can’t._ ”

They watched each other’s reactions for quite a while, having known each other long enough to understand what they meant. Takeda broke the heavy silence first. “I recruited Yachi Hitoka as a pilot, you know.”

Ukai’s expression barely moves, but Takeda sees it and knows he has gained the upper hand. “I’m not surprised,” Ukai says instead, comfortably leaning back into his desk chair. “I trained her myself; obviously she would become a pilot sooner or later.”

“And you aren’t worried about her?” Takeda pressed, leaning forward in the armchair he was seated in and clasping his hands over his knees. “You aren’t worried that maybe she isn’t ready, or that maybe she’ll be forced through the worst?”

Ukai’s jaw clenched. Takeda knew that his friend could tell what he was doing. _Well,_ he thought remorsefully to himself, _this may be the only way to convince him._

“Hitoka can take care of herself well enough,” Ukai answered from behind clenched teeth. “I made sure of that.”

Takeda narrowed his eyes, assessing. “And, knowing she may not be in capable hands, you would allow her to pilot alongside three other rookie Jaegers?

“Please, just stop, Ittetsu,” Ukai finally exasperated, closing his eyes. “I can trust her with you, I know that. I also know that most of the older pilots are still in commission or will be very soon, so stop playing to my experience. I know full well that you won’t let her run without a veteran team.”

“Do you?”

That stopped Ukai right in his tracks. His eyes snapped open and he looked Takeda dead in the eye with a shocked expression. Takeda remained stony faced and impassive. “What?” the P.P.D.C. captain murmured dangerously low, and Takeda confirmed his suspicions: Yachi meant much more to him than he was letting on.

“There are currently only two veteran teams in commision is what I mean,” Takeda explained, remaining calm under Ukai’s harsh look of hostility. “It’s been two weeks since Reaper appeared, and I’ve had confirmation that the next will appear three weeks from now. Either I send two functional Jaegers and one half-assed one, or I send the rookie pilots with the veteran pilots. Both are bad options, but I’m running out of options, period.”

And all at once, Ukai realized Takeda’s tactic. “No,” the younger man told Takeda flatly, not even a shred of consideration in his answer. “No way, Ittetsu.”

“I _just_ said I’m running out of options, Keishin!” Takeda implored. “Either that, or you take your pick of who I send out as fodder; the veterans or the rookies.”

“ _Don’t force me to make that sort of decision!_ ” Ukai snapped, leaping to his feet. Takeda felt a pang of guilt for forcing the situation to this. “I retired from piloting three years ago, and both Makoto and I made a promise to each other that neither of us would ever pilot again after what we had seen! You don’t understand what it’s like out there, Ittetsu! It isn’t like standing the mission control, or even training to become a pilot; it’s having to make split second decisions are the only thing between life and death! It’s building strong relationships in order to drift and trust your Strike Group to have your back. You couldn’t possibly know what it’s like during the real thing.” Ukai slumped into his seat after his outburst.

“But _you do!_ ” Takeda finally answered, standing instead. “Keishin, _you_ know. I don’t. Your grandfather didn’t. But if you come back to the Shatterdome, show that you have the leadership I know you have, then everyone there will follow you without question. They will _trust_ you… The one thing your grandfather seemed to lack. And then no one will have to worry about bad decisions that end in tragedy.”

“Now you’re guilt tripping me,” Ukai spat, though no disdain was directed at Takeda; he knew this. Really, there wasn’t much Takeda couldn’t easily find out from people’s movements and their reactions to situations. Ukai was an easy case for him, though, since the two men had known each other for so long.

“So what if I am?” Takeda replied, sitting down again. This conversation had to remain civil at this point if Takeda wanted it to succeed. “You and Makoto were the two single best pilots Hong Kong ever had, especially when the other Shatterdomes were still functional. No one forgets that. I know you made a promise to him to never pilot again after Fury changed co-pilots, but these rookies _need_ you. Yachi needs you. Akiteru’s brother needs you. Goddamn, Keishin, _I_ need you. How am I going to run the Shatterdome on my own if I know next to nothing about a Jaeger or the kaiju? My expertise is in military combat, not robots fighting aliens, okay? I’m kind of at a loss of how to do this, so this is why I need you to come and take the reigns of this whole operation before I blow it sky high.”

Ukai didn’t speak for a long time. He merely sat and stared at his desk, eyes glancing over the scattering of papers, and picture frames across it. Takeda knew some of them quite well; a photo of Ukai and his family when he was no older than fifteen, a mere year before K-Day, a mere twelve months before he lost his parents and all he had was his grandfather. Another was of him and Shimada Makoto, his co-pilot, long before they had even known kaiju were on the pacific floor, arms hooked around each others’ necks with enormous grins in their high school volleyball uniforms. It was hard to believe that the thirty-three year old man sitting before Takeda was the same boy in those pictures, the same one who had grinned just a little too much and laughed just a little too hard.

But, Takeda also knew that the third photo on Ukai’s desk was of him and Shimada in their late twenties, as well as Takeda, Ukai’s grandfather and the rest of the commissioned pilots of the time. It had been around the time Fury had debuted, and the Mark III’s were still being launched over time. Echo Sterling’s pilots, Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koushi, and Zulu Vega’s pilots, Matsukawa and Hanamaki, had been fresh out of the Jaeger program and high school, still awkward and rookie-looking. The picture had been taken in the Shatterdome, Tau Grizzly and Fury Alamo as the backdrop of the picture.

God, it felt like so long ago, when they were actually proud pilots and still just kids, not the hardened soldiers they were now.

“I have a few conditions,” Ukai finally said. He met Takeda’s eyes. “One, Hitoka will never be put into any danger whatsoever outside of her duties as a pilot.”

“Done,” Takeda said after a moment. Other Jaeger pilots could be used for the reckless missions.

Ukai nodded. “Two, _I_ choose Kei’s co-pilot.”

Takeda started at that. “You want him to continue piloting? That was one of the reasons your grandfather was forced to step down, though…”

“Kei has invaluable experience, unfortunately,” Ukai explained himself, his eyes making him look far older than he truly was. “Once he recovers, him and his co-pilot will debut as the last of the Mark-IV’s, alright? No sooner, Ittetsu, promise me.”

“I swear it,” Takeda told his friend, far more sincere than he had been all day.

“And third, Makoto does not come back after this. You don’t give him a position in the Shatterdome, and he doesn’t pilot after this once. _Ever._ I want him out of this for good; I owe him that much after what I’m going to ask of him.”

Takeda nodded slowly, understanding washing over him. “Of course, Keishin,” he said, urgency leaving him.

Ukai sighed, finally letting out all his pent up frustration and resigning to his fate. “Good,” he murmured, Takeda knowing the one thing he had wanted most was for his co-pilot not to be put through the same thing twice.

Once Takeda had left with the promise of Ukai arriving at the Shatterdome for Jaeger duty in the coming week, said pilot stood from his desk and went over to the window of his office. Was he really going to go through with this? It _did_ seem like Takeda didn’t have any other choice. But Shimada…

The man sighed and plucked his cell phone from his pocket. Dialing one of the only contacts he had, he waiting for the dial tone to end and for the other person to answer.

“Keishin?” Ukai finally heard. “What is it?”

Ukai paused, hesitated. He didn’t want to do this to his best friend. This was far too cruel of him to ask. “Makoto… I’m so sorry.”

There was no answer for a moment, but Ukai then heard, “When should I be ready?”


	4. The Fourth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With new leadership in the Shatterdome, will things only get better? Or are they bound to get worse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so a hundred years after publishing the third chapter (I'm so sorry), I'm finally back with the fourth chapter! This one was a little hard to write due the fact that I didn't know how to write Kageyama and Hinata's sparring scene, so I just cut it out altogether :/ oops. Please enjoy otherwise!

Sparring had been scheduled for quite early in the morning later that week, in order for the higher-ups to assess the pilots the Major had chosen for the Shatterdome. Despite this, no one was tired.

Even though it was an assessment, far fewer people than Hinata had expected actually showed up. Major Takeda of course was there, as well as four extra people that Hinata hadn’t met as of yet. He assumed from their badges on their chests, though, that they were the K- and J-Science heads, as well as the J-Tech head. Beside the group of high-ups were a select number of the veteran pilots of the Shatterdome. Hinata couldn’t remember their names off hand, but he recognized the symbols on their bomber jackets as the pilots of Endeavour Aurora, as well as Tau Grizzly. Both teams were from Strike Group Alpha, but their command team was nowhere in sight. Quietly conversing with the darker haired pilot of Endeavour was Shimizu, and beside her was an extremely nervous looking young man, probably no older than Hinata himself.

Before Hinata could figure out who he was (and why Kozume wasn’t present), the doors of Kwoon Room rumbled open, catching everyone’s attention and silencing them. Hinata noticed Takeda smile sadly, as well as the pilots going on to grin at the newcomers. All Hinata could do was suddenly gape, remembering the feeling of being ranks below the important people.

Ukai Keishin and Shimada Makoto strode in without so much as a blink.

Both men held enormous auras of people of the utmost importance, but still having to hold that burden upon their shoulders. The two pilots inclined their heads in unison to the new pilots of Tau Grizzly, then took their places beside Takeda, folding their arms one after the other. It was astounding to see the behavioural similarities between the co-pilots, and Hinata knew his psychoanalyst wasn’t lying when they had said co-pilots end up in sync, even outside of drifting, picking up the personality traits of the other and balancing it into a compromise.

_Oh dear God, please tell me I won’t end up as an asshole like Kageyama._

Hinata and Kageyama’s relationship hadn’t improved in the slightest since the tour of the Shatterdome. If anything, it had only gotten _worse_. They now shared quarters, a bunk bed having been their first dispute. Who was going to get top bunk? It ended with an argument and rock-paper-scissors. Of course, when Hinata won best two out of three and Kageyama accused him of cheating, they went on to flip a coin ten times. Finally, the dispute was ended with an arm wrestle and Kageyama took top bunk. They had only continued to argue from there, disagreeing about the time they had to arrive at the Kwoon Room that morning, continually calling each other things such as ‘dumbass Hinata!’ and ‘Bakageyama!’ until they reached their destination. They both shut up, though, when they came across the pilots of Zulu Vega.

When they had turned a corner, the two new pilots of Solar Fox silenced their arguing the moment they felt the twin heavy presences coming down the hallway. They hadn’t quieted because they knew who it was; it was because both veteran pilots across the corridor looked as if they were ready to murder someone, and turned their intense gazes to Hinata and Kageyama when they came into sight. The two older men were terrifying, to say the least, but that combined with the information Hinata knew about the current status of Strike Group Beta made him feel even smaller.

The lighter haired one had glanced away first, growling, but the taller, even more frightening one, kept his eyes trained on Hinata and Kageyama until they passed each other. Hinata had practically collapsed the moment the two veteran pilots disappeared.

“Welcome to the Hong Kong Shatterdome, recruits,” Ukai’s voice cut across the room, sharper than steel. Only professionalism with him, Hinata realized. Not that he could imagine anything different from a retired war hero. “As I’m sure you know, I’m Captain Ukai Keishin from the P.P.D.C. and I’m here to take Marshal Ukai Ikei’s place as the next Marshal. This here is my co-pilot, Captain Shimada Makoto.” Ukai nodded to Shimada beside him, who inclined his head in greeting to the recruits. “Today you will be showing us your combat skills, as well as drift compatibility. This will serve as your final assessment, so don’t think I won’t kick your asses out of here if you can’t drift with your co-pilot. You have to remember that the fate of humanity rests on you and your ability, got it?”

Hinata gulped.

“Good,” Ukai stated when no one spoke in complaint. “Victor Tango, you’re up first.”

Aone and Futakuchi nodded in compliance, taking staffs that matched their respective heights before stepping onto the mat. Hinata could tell immediately that they had done this hundreds of times, because they bowed in unison before taking identical stances opposite to each other.

Once they began, it was like some sort of elegant dance, Futakuchi getting a point and Aone taking it back. Futakuchi would knock the white haired rookie over, and Aone would swiftly return the favour. There was never a break in rhythm, both always moving and swinging, one point to one of them and one point to the other, back and forth, back and forth.

Finally, once both had scores of nine, Ukai called the fight. “Amazing work, you two,” the new Marshal praised the rookies with a smirk. “I can see a lot of potential in you two.”

Victor’s pilots bowed at the praise, Futakuchi voicing his thanks while Aone merely grunted it.

“Alright, Nova Electra next.”

Yachi jumped half a foot in surprise when the Marshal called her and her partner to the mat. Hinata could understand that, seeing as Yachi had probably not sparred with her co-pilot as of yet and had only met her earlier in the week. Hinata smiled to his friend, giving her a nod of encouragement. Yachi took a deep breath and nodded back before stepping up to the mat with a height appropriate staff.

Once their fight began, Hinata noticed something a little odd. The Marshal looked… eager? Was that the word? He was watching Yachi intently, almost like he was analyzing her. Not that she wasn’t able to hold her own or anything of the sort; Shimizu looked as if she were the more experienced of the two, but that didn’t stop Yachi from relentlessly taking the elder woman down in the fewest moves possible. Yachi was good, and Ukai seemed to know this. Once he called the fight, he even looked a little proud of Yachi’s performance on the Kwoon mat.

Hinata didn’t even hear when him and Kageyama were called due to his nerves before his partner yanked on his shirt collar and pulled him onto the mat. Kageyama shoved a staff into Hinata’s hands and with a mixture of determination and detestment, the taller bowed and rushed Hinata.

 

***

 

“How are you feeling?”

“Mentally or physically? ‘Cause physically, I’m peachy.”

Sugawara had to chuckle at the lame humour in his partner’s voice. “You _do_ look better, now,” Sugawara told Sawamura, smiling from the parallel hospital bed. Even as the silver-haired pilot spoke lightly with his co-pilot, both knew they weren’t any better.

Their command team was torn in two, quite literally, before their eyes. Since being hospitalized after the attack, Echo Sterling’s pilots had heard little about the younger Tsukishima’s condition, and they didn’t have to ask about the elder. They already knew.

Matsukawa and Hanamaki _had_ told them about the political situation of the Shatterdome, though. Echo was to be the new command Jaeger of Beta, and they were having a complete makeover with the addition of Mark IV’s into the Strike Group. They also told Sugawara and Sawamura that Marshal Ukai had stepped down (“Thanks to Kuroo, that is,” Matsukawa had added) and that his grandson was now the head of the Shatterdome. That was the only good change to come about, seeing as Ukai and Shimada had been Echo’s and Zulu’s mentors back before Fury took point.

But Sugawara had wanted to push all that from his mind and just feel his partner’s gentle presence in his head, comforted that they were still together.

“I’m dying for a drink, though.”

Sugawara snorted, shooting Sawamura a playful glare for his remark. “You’re practically high on the meds they’re giving us; I don’t think you need a drink on top of that, Daichi.”

Their remaining strike group members showed up a little later, Matsukawa taking the seat beside Sawamura’s bed and Hanamaki throwing himself over the end of Sugawara’s bed, seeing as the other Echo pilot had a broken leg. “Can we just quit?” were the first words out of Matsukawa’s mouth, his hand pinching his temple as he slumped into the hospital armchair.

“I mean, we _could_ , but it would probably be a bad idea,” Sawamura warned his friend, smiling sympathetically. Matsukawa nodded absently, leaning his head against the back of the chair and closing his eyes.

“Kei’s up and about,” Hanamaki suddenly started, sitting cross-legged at the foot of Sugawara’s bed. That caught the Echo pilots’ attention, and Hanamaki nodded in confirmation. “Since he’s just got serious mental trauma, the docs wanted to see his physical condition. Seems he was pretty decent, but I guess we’ll have to see about him pi-”

“I guess we’ll have to,” Matsukawa cut across Hanamaki’s words, sending a sharp glare to his partner, who balked a little before glaring back. _Oh, we’re not going to tell them now?_ Hanamaki snapped across the link. _It isn’t like they won’t find out from someone else if not from us._

_They’re bad as it is, Takahiro; just leave them be for now._

“That’s good to hear,” Sugawara breathed a sigh of relief, smiling a little. The twenty-two year old had been through far too much as it was, only having been a pilot for three years and already losing his co-pilot. Sugawara gulped back the sudden lump that formed in his throat from thinking about his command team, noticing out of the corner of his eye as Sawamura glanced at him worriedly.

 _We’re still here, Koushi,_ Sawamura told him through the link, projecting soothing thoughts. _We carry Beta from now on in Akiteru’s place, okay? We keep Kei safe, as well as Issei and Takahiro and everyone else. That’s our job now. Let’s make Akiteru proud._

Sugawara couldn't help but smile at his partner’s comforting thoughts resonating through his own mind. _Yeah,_ he sent back to Sawamura. _Let’s make him damn proud._

“Ugh, please stop having ghost drift sex, guys, not when we’re right here,” Matsukawa groaned from his seat with Hanamaki cackling at Sugawara and Sawamura’s sudden profuse blushes.

“Like you and Takahiro don’t do it,” Sawamura shot back at the other pilot with indignation. Matsukawa merely gave Sawamura a contorted look, Sawamura happily reciprocating it. Sugawara chuckled, Hanamaki’s snickering becoming contagious.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Sugawara said after a while, remembering what he had been wanting to ask Matsukawa and Hanamaki when they returned. “Have you two seen any of the new pilots yet?”

“Sure did,” Hanamaki stated, nodding. “Only one pair, though, ‘cause the rest were in the Kwoon Room with the Marshal for final assessment.”

Sugawara caught onto the fact that Hanamaki had an underlying emotion in his words, and he also felt Sawamura notice the same thing. Was it disdain? Scorn?

 _Contempt, I think,_ Sawamura told him through the link. Sugawara frowned at that, but opted to ignore it nonetheless. “What were they like?” he instead asked Zulu’s pilots.

Matsukawa snorted suddenly, bring the attention to him. “They were definitely rookies, that’s for sure,” he told them, shaking his head. “They were the pair Takeda put together himself, _hoping_ they would be good together. So far, it hasn’t been so great.”

“They had been arguing about the stupidest of things when we passed by them on the way here,” Hanamaki added, shifting his position on Sugawara’s bed to remain comfortable. “They were late for their final assessment, and one was saying that they had needed to be there an hour ago and the other was saying they needed to be there in ten minutes. Obviously, neither was right, but that just made it all the worse.”

“I’ve gotta hand it to them though, the one’s drift scores were pretty impressive for someone without a co-pilot throughout the Academy,” Matsukawa admitted, still slumped comfortably into his chair. “Only the top pilots have had above 90% drift compatibility with over forty different people. Even Akiteru only had about an 85%, and he’s considered one of the best to date compatibility-wise. I think Takeda was hoping that would give him compatibility with his new co-pilot, who was top of their year.” His eyes shadowed, narrowing. “I’m desperately hoping they won’t be put in Beta, though. They don’t seem even the slightest bit reliable.”

“At least not yet,” Hanamaki added quickly, shooting a smile to Sawamura and Sugawara to lighten Matsukawa’s words.

“Ah, good, all four of you are here.”

All four pilots jolted to attention, Matsukawa and Hanamaki standing and saluting the visitor. Sawamura and Sugawara also saluted, though confined to their beds.

Ukai nodded to them. “At ease,” he told Matsukawa and Hanamaki, who slowly returned to their seats (Hanamaki to Sugawara’s bed). After a few moments, a small smile cracked over Ukai’s aging features. “God, I can’t even begin to tell you how glad I am to see you four.”

“And you too,” Sugawara spoke on behalf of him and Sawamura, Matsukawa nodding with a small smile for him and Hanamaki. “How’s Makoto-san nowadays?”

“Ask him yourself,” Ukai stated, nodding his head to the door behind him. As if on cue, Shimada came in, another young man in tow, and smiled at the four pilots. The younger men's’ faces lit up at seeing their good-hearted senior again. Where Ukai had been a strict and relentless mentor, Shimada had been encouraging and personal with them, helping them with their own flaws in order for them to improve individually.

“Hey there,” Shimada said, waving a little. “I can see you two are looking better, Koushi, Daichi. I’m glad.”

“Thank you,” Sawamura nodded, then frowned in slight confusion. “You’ve brought someone with you, I see.”

“Ah, yes,” Shimada confirmed and moved out of the way to show the younger man off to the four pilots. Ukai smiled sadly down at him before glancing back to the pilots.

“His name is Yamaguchi Tadashi, a rookie from the Academy that Makoto trained,” Ukai explained. “He was working with Tadashi-kun at the same time as I was training Yachi Hitoka, another of the Rookies Ittetsu brought over."

“Will he be paired with Yachi?” Sugawara asked, trying to send a smile Yamaguchi’s way.

Ukai frowned. “No, she’s with Shimizu. Tadashi will be with…” He saw the looks on Matsukawa and Hanamki’s faces and it suddenly clicked. “Oh. You haven't told them. I should I expected as much.”

“Haven’t told us what?” Sawamura asked suspiciously, giving Matsukawa a look. Zulu’s lead pilot rolled his eyes, but couldn’t meet Sawamura’s gaze nonetheless.

“Unfortunately, Tsukishima is going to have to continue to pilot once he recovers,” Ukai stated bluntly, crossing his arms and returning to his professional demeanour. “Tadashi is going to be his co-pilot from now on.”

“Oh.”

Surprise hit the room like a freight train. “Oh?” Ukai clarified, astounded. “That’s it? No angry outburst? No cursing? _Nothing?!”_

“We expected something like this might happen,” Sugawara explained, though his mood had dampered. “With Kei being such a good pilot at such a young age… It almost seems like a mistake _not_ to keep him, even if him and Yamaguchi-kun are just backup for emergencies.” The pilot sighed, defeated suddenly. “And what are we to argue? We’re only Rangers; nowhere near a rank high enough to have influence, correct?”

Sugawara could tell from Ukai’s look that he had been dead on. There was no way he and Sawamura could change the final decision just as Rangers. Perhaps if they staged a political coup like Kuroo and gained support of the majority of the Shatterdome, but what was the point? The Shatterdome would fall apart if there was another change of leadership. So he and his partner would agree to whatever the new marshal suggested.

“Thank you,” Ukai sighed gratefully, smiling with a relieved expression. “I almost lost Issei and Takahiro’s support when I first told them.”

“Well, considering I had to restrain Issei to keep him from tearing your granddad’s head,” Hanamaki added, “it wasn’t a surprise to have to restrain him again to keep him from doing the same to you.” Matsukawa shot a glare in his partner’s direction, only for the lighter haired pilot to smirk devilishly in return.

 

***

 

Tanaka downed his third beer, finally feeling the world begin to blur.

“Please don’t drink yourself to death over a girl,” he heard from his companion, Ennoshita Chikara. Tanaka merely grunted in response and let his head hit the bar with a _thwack!_

“But I thought she was the one, Chikara!” Tanaka groaned to Yamamoto’s second-in-command. “She was so cute! And actually wasn’t scared of me!”

“You’ve said that about every girl you’ve ever dated,” Ennoshita sighed, shaking his head as he waved off the bartender who tried to give Tanaka a new beer. “She only wanted to date you because you were a tech on Fury, and you know it.”

Tanaka grumbled his acknowledgement of that, but tried to put it out of his mind. He knew full well that every woman he had dated in the last six years had gone out with him because he was on the Fury Alamo team. That doubled his luck with the ladies. But now, all those ungrateful fame-seekers had dropped their perfect dating material demeanours the moment Fury was announced decommissioned. Who wanted to date someone like Tanaka if he was a nobody in the Shatterdome? He may as well have been getting his hopes way too high to think he’d have a chance with a decent girl.

 _Oh well,_ he thought, internally shrugging. Women were the least of his problems. Now that he had been transferred to head J-tech on Helios Thunder, he’d have his hands full for quite a while. It also meant he would have to deal with the younger Tsukishima on a more regular basis. It wasn’t all bad, though. That gave him a higher rank and more influence, and it gave him an excuse to keep an eye on his former Jaeger’s pilot.

“Maybe I should try blind dates?” Tanaka suggested to cover his philosophical thoughts, giving Ennoshita a sly grin. The engineer rolled his eyes in response. “Oh, come on!” he cried, sitting straight again. “That’s not a bad idea, man! They’d have no idea who I am, then!”

“I think that makes it worse, Ryuu.”

Both Tanaka and Ennoshita started at the new voice, Tanaka glancing around to find the source, suddenly grinning. The newcomer grinned as well, hands on his hips. “Hey there, Ryuu, Chikara.”

“Nishinoya Yuu!” Tanaka cried excitedly. He jumped off the bar stool and fist-bumped his old friend. “How’ve you been?! I heard you got transferred to ground forces last year!”

“You bet I did!” Nishinoya beamed proudly under Tanaka’s awe-struck gaze, giving Ennoshita a quick handshake of greeting. “Me and Asahi here were transferred into the Red Devils in November of last year. You know, the famous P.P.D.C Fourth Division?”

“No kidding!” Tanaka praised, punching Nishinoya’s shoulder fondly. “I heard those bastards were made of steel!”

“Oh hell yes, they are,” Nishinoya agreed, laughing. “Cold-hearted front lines, as we say. No more of that evac personnel for me! Oh, Asahi here is the sniper of the division!”

Tanaka only now took a good look at the looming figure standing behind Nishinoya, hair loosely held back and stubble thick with neglect. Tanaka gave the man a grin, sticking out his hand charismatically. “Tanaka Ryuunosuke, at your service,” he introduced himself. “I’m head J-Tech for one of the Mark IV’s back at the Shatterdome. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Sergeant Azumane Asahi,” Azumane nodded, smiling nervously as he shook Tanaka’s hand, then Ennoshita’s. “Like Yuu said, I’m a sniper in the Fourth Division.”

“You been in service long?” Ennoshita inquired, Tanaka gesturing for the military men to take the two seats next to theirs.

“About six years,” Azumane disclosed, quickly ordering a scotch while Nishinoya got a beer. “I got in just after high school. I met Yuu here when we were transferred into the Fourth. Before that, I’d been in the SEALs over in the States.”

“He’s pretty cool, ain’t he?” Nishinoya gushed excitedly, causing Azumane to distract himself with the arrival of his scotch. “Anyways,” the short soldier suddenly said, seriousness overtaking his features. “I came here to say something. We were out there when it happened. We could see it.”

Nishinoya didn’t have to explain what he was talking about. Tanaka knew. Ennoshita no doubt knew as well. Anyone would know. It’s all citizens who weren’t a part of the Shatterdome would talk about.

“What happened out there was a real tragedy,” Nishinoya went on, twisting his beer in his palm. “Having to watch it was… Eye-opening, at the very least. It made me remember that we haven’t always had Jaegers to protect our coasts. That even Jaegers aren’t invincible, no matter how well you build them. No, Ryuu, I’m not slandering your work, because I already know you’re one hell of an engineer. You either, Chikara. What I’m saying is that… God, what _am_ I saying?”

“The kaiju are evolving,” Ennoshita suddenly stated in a hushed voice, obviously worried civilians might catch their conversation. “Michimiya-san was onto that even before the incident. With each emergence of a new category, they’re stronger, faster, wiser, more strategic. They can actually _fight_ Jaegers like it’s a duel now. Not the mindless ravaging with the Cat 1’s and 2’s. No, this is different. The Cat 4’s are far more of a threat.

“And the Marshal didn’t realize that,” Ennoshita finally got to his point. “He didn’t take into account that we were still new to Cat 4’s, that Fury themselves were still new to Cat 4’s. The ones that took down the first Cat 4 were Strike Group Alpha’s Jaegers. It cost Juno weeks of repair time. But the Marshal didn’t take this into account. He thought that with the veteran pilots, Beta would be fine without Zulu. _That’s_ the problem. Not the kaiju evolving, which was bound to happen, but the fact that we haven’t moved to evolve as well.”

“So that’s why the Mark IV’s were suddenly announced,” Azumane murmured, understanding. “That’s the new Marshal’s way of evolving the Jaegers alongside the kaiju.”

“Exactly,” Ennoshita nodded. “So, Noya, you don’t have to worry about seeing anything like what happened to Fury again. The ground forces won’t ever have to worry about going after a kaiju alone again. That’s what the Shatterdome is here for. And that’s why we’re here to stay, so long as kaiju still threaten the human race.”

The three other men were slack jawed, surprised with Ennoshita’s speech. The engineer realized this, ears suddenly burning with embarrassment. “I mean, that’s what anybody from the Shatterdome thinks. Right?”

Tanaka grinned and slung his arm around Ennoshita’s shoulders. “I feel a whole lot safer now,” he said, laughing as Ennoshita flushed even more.


	5. The Fifth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every senior has that one junior they like to call 'kid'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHAHAHAHAHAHA I ain't dead yet
> 
> Anyways, here's chapter five, aka where Yamaguchi professes undying love for an idiot and Tsukishima can't apologize

“At this rate, you will never be a pilot!”

Hinata balked at the blunt declaration from the senior pilot. “W-what?!” he cried, utterly horrified. “B-but, I-I got here, and the assessment was j-just one thing! I-I mean-”

“Hey now, stop that!” Bokuto interjected, stopping Hinata’s whimpers with a tight headlock. “I wasn’t saying you were out of the running completely! I’m just telling you that you’re forcing it way too much!”

“F-forcing it?” Hinata questioned once Bokuto let him go. He had wondered why Bokuto had suddenly pulled him off to the side when Kageyama had stormed off yet again after another argument in the corridor. His stupid co-pilot had messed the assessment up for the so badly that the Marshal had almost discharged them on the spot. Why did he have to keep saying that it had been Hinata’s fault? It was obviously Bakageyama’s fault!

“Exactly,” Bokuto nodded, hands on his hips. The Endeavour pilot then grinned. “What I mean is that you’re trying to force compatibility between you and Kageyama, which is pretty counter-productive. For you, compatability shouldn’t be a problem! So what’s up?”

Hinata rubbed his neck, now sore from Bokuto’s death grip of a headlock. “Well, I guess I’m just trying to make up for his compatability? Does that make sense?”

“Nope,” Bokuto stated.

The orange haired pilot then sighed, knowing making excuses wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “He’s an asshole, that’s the problem,” Hinata confided quickly. “We don’t get along, like, _really_ don’t. I don’t want to be his co-pilot, but I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“Not unless you want to remain a Ranger,” Endeavour’s pilot agreed, nodding. He chewed his lip for a moment, eyes off Hinata, then said, “I’ll let you in on a secret.”

Hinata perked at that. “Okay?”

“Five years ago, I met an socially distant and sour eighteen year old. I was a year into the Academy, and this kid had just enrolled. He seemed so interesting, even if he was a bit prickly on the outside, but we didn’t speak for quite a while, not until I got him alone. He _really_ hated me at first, let me tell you; thought I was a brainless oaf for the longest time. But I still tried hard to get through to him, and by the time I graduated, he was only a year through. The officials said they could find me a co-pilot that may or may not be compatable with me, or I would be guaranteed a job in the Shatterdome. I declined both, and waited for the prickly kid I was fascinated with to graduate. When he found out I risked my rep and future on him, we hit it off.” Bokuto grinned proudly. “Three years later, I can tell people that I’ve got a hell of a co-pilot because I waited for the perfect one.”

It suddenly clicked for Hinata. “Wait, you’re talking about Akaashi-san?!” he exclaimed. “But he’s so nice and cool! I can’t imagine him like that!”

“I know, right?” Bokuto laughed. “I rubbed off on him, you see, since we’re co-pilots. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

Hinata paused, took in the information before slowly nodding. “I think so,” he said carefully, running the words over in his mind again. “I can’t give up on getting through to Kageyama?”

“Bingo!” Bokuto cried with satisfaction, throwing an arm around Hinata’s shoulders with a toothy grin and ruffling his hair. “With compatability like yours, you and Kageyama won’t have a problem drifting, just as long as you let it happen naturally! Don’t force it; just wait for it to come for you two, ‘kay?”

“Okay!” Hinata replied enthusiastically, grinning back to his senior officer. Suddenly, with a little bit of a nervous edge to his voice, Hinata asked, “Bokuto-san? What kind of things did you do with Akaashi-san to get better at drifting together?”

Bokuto thought for a few moments, taking his arm from Hinata and motioning the Rookie Ranger to walk with him. “It took a lot of time for us to perfect our drifting, even more time to sync up with Endeavour. The Mark III’s have a hell of a punch to them, considering they’re the last of the analog. You Rookies got the shiny new digital Jaegers, so you never have to worry about drifting with the pretense of nuclear energy! So…” Bokuto glanced down at Hinata, indicating he was awaiting an answer from the Rookie Ranger.

Hinata jumped at the opportunity to prove himself to his superior. “So it should be a lot easier for me and Kageyama to drift?!”

“You’re a genius, kid, I swear!”

 

***

 

“Hey, kid, you awake?”

Tsukishima took a few moments to comprehend the voice before opening his eyes. Of course he wasn’t asleep. Sleep meant being tortured by nightmares of better days and a grinning Akiteru.

“I am now, Mastukawa-san.” Tsukishima’s blurred gaze found the senior Ranger, as well as another familiar face, one he had not seen since he was whisked away by the P.P.D.C to pilot with his brother. “What do you need?” he asked by muscle memory, though he cared little about what the answer would be.“... I can’t sleep these days.”

Matsukawa grimaced at Tsukishima’s response. He knew that the young pilot must have been plagued by nightmares and vivid images of his late brother. _Anyone_ would be haunted by that.

The veteran pilot took a hesitant step into the infirmary room, taking in Tsukishima’s condition: his usually cropped hair had grown out, so now his bangs were beginning to fall over his eyes. Matsukawa subconsciously bit the inside of his cheek as the hairstyle fiercely reminded him of Akiteru. Moreover, the younger Tsukishima probably hadn’t worn his glasses since the accident. Was the kid _intentionally_ looking more and more like his brother?

“I brought you a visitor,” Matsukawa stated, glancing away from Tsukishima as he sat in his hospital bed. To distract himself he ushered in the younger man and bowed out of the room as quickly as he could. Sighing heavily just outside the now closed door, Matsukawa immediately felt the tension evaporate. Though he felt like a douche to admit it, he didn’t think he’d be able to last a minute longer with his junior pilot.

The room was silent for a few moments, and Tsukishima squinted at the visitor. Who could possibly be needing his attention at a time like this?

“Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima finally confirmed, glancing to the window so he wouldn’t have to look at yet another face that reminded him of Akiteru.

The pilot heard his childhood friend, whom he hadn’t seen in three years, sit next to the bed hesitantly. “Hey, Tsukki,” the man said and Tsukishima could all but hear the smile resonating from him, and he cringed at the nickname.

“Are you supposed to be moral support?”

Yamaguchi chuckled lightly, and Tsukishima swore he could hear actual amusement in his friend’s voice. “What’s so funny?” Tsukishima growled, narrowing his eyes so he could see if Yamaguchi still looked pretty when he laughed. “Oi, shut up, Yamaguchi.”

“Nothing, Tsukki; sorry,” Yamaguchi smiled, but the happy look faded quickly. “How… How are you feeling? Does anything hurt too much?”

Tsukishima felt his throat tighten. What had he been expecting? Of course Yamaguchi was going to ask the same questions everyone else did. “I’m not dead, so that’s something,” he replied, closing his eyes again. “I know you’re giving me a pity look. Stop it.”

“Sorry, Tsukki.”

Tsukishima sighed and reluctantly opened his eyes once more to look at Yamaguchi. “How’ve you been?” he inquired, knowing it was probably the question Yamaguchi wanted to hear. Maybe this might actually take his mind of his brother for the first time in a month.

But Yamaguchi didn’t perk up, like Tsukishima had been expecting from his childhood friend. “I… well…” He bit his lip and didn’t meet Tsukishima’s eyes. “Mom passed away two years ago, and I don’t really know what happened to Dad.”

Maybe if he didn’t have the same story, Tsukishima would have consoled his friend. Maybe if Akiteru was in the bed parallel to his, he would have glanced at his brother to make sure he was still there before giving Yamaguchi his condolences. Instead, because he knew it had most likely been one of the Kaiju attacks that where Tsukishima had still been a Rookie and couldn’t watch the flanks like Akiteru had told him a million times to, he didn’t say a word for a good minute.

“...You’re a pilot, aren’t you.”

Yamaguchi didn’t have to make a move for Tsukishima to know it was true. He couldn’t help but laugh at the irony before he said, “You’re my new co-pilot. Of course you are. _Of fucking course.”_

 

***

 

“Hello there, tykes!” the fairly tall, mohawk bearing engineer greeted the Rookies. “The name’s Yamamoto Taketora, Chief of the J-Tech department, and I’ll be your tour guide for the next while, so let’s all be _great_ friends, shall we?”

Tanaka snorted. He truly _did_ know how to make an impression.

Not all the Mark IV pilots were present in the lab, seeing as Shimizu (Tanaka suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy inside) and Tsukishima ( _that_ news had been a painful surprise) had both already gone through this training before. A few of the other pilots were also present, namely Endeavour’s pilots and Tau’s pilots (Kuroo and Kozume hadn’t been out of their quarters since the now ex-Marshal was usurped, Sawamura and Sugawara were still in the hospital wing, and Matsukawa and Hanamaki refused to be a part of the new pilots’ training for obvious reasons), as well as the other three head J-Techs of the Mark IV’s: Terushima Yuuji for Nova, Yahaba Shigeru for Victor, and the newest head J-Tech, Izumi Yukitaka, for Solar. Finally, Takeda and Michimiya Yui, Chief of the K-Science department, were observing off to the side.

“Your training until further notice,” Yamamoto continued, “will be drift simulations, drivesuit tests and fittings, as well as getting to know your Jaegers. Now, keep in mind that I only _design_ Jaegers and oversee their production. Your wonderful top J-Techs here, on the other hand,” he gestured to Tanaka and the other Techs present, “built your lovely machines from my designs. This means me and my right hand man here,” a gesture to Ennoshita, who stood beside Yamamoto, “will be doing the tests and simulations. Theory, in other words. Your Techs will be doing the heavy duty work. Any questions?”

The orange haired pilot’s hand shot up immediately. “When do we get to do tests in our Jaegers, sir?” he asked earnestly.

“When you can actually pilot one,” Tanaka answered for his friend, now moving to assert his ideals into this. He crossed his arms and looked down his nose with the most intimidating look he could conjure up. “No one steps foot on the command platform until you know what you’re doing and you can hold your own, _got it?_

“Besides,” Tanaka smirked as he got his desired reaction from the pilots, “you’ll need my sister’s say so first, as well as Dr. Yamamoto’s, the Major’s and the Marshal’s. So don’t get too excited about piloting just yet. You’ve got six months _at least_ before you can participate in drops. _And_ you gotta be able to drift with your co-pilot first, _Rookie.”_

His last words were a jab at Solar’s pilots specifically, who both cringed. It had become widespread knowledge in the Shatterdome that Takeda’s prefered pilots had bombed their final assessment, and Tanaka didn’t want a pair of amateurs with egos piloting on _his_ watch. He’d have to whip them into shape, along with everyone else, even if it was the last thing he did.

“We’re going to start with fittings and nerve connection today, so you can get used to the feeling of the drivesuits,” Ennoshita then went on to say. He gave the pilots an easy smile, a dark shadow hanging over him suddenly, surprising the pilots. “No trouble now, alright?”

“Yessir!”

Tanaka sighed as he came over to Yamaguchi’s side, who looked a little out of place as other J-Tech’s took their pilots into the cockpit of their Jaeger’s for the first time, the groups of three chatting and getting to know each other. Tanaka knew next to nothing about Tsukishima’s new co-pilot other than the fact that he was of the same status as Yachi: a student of a former Tau Grizzly pilot. He also came off as shy and reserved, which Tanaka knew he would have to beat out of his beloved creation’s pilot.

With a disturbingly nasty look, Tanaka gave Yamaguchi an obvious once over when he reached the younger man. The pilot cowered immediately at the treatment, and watched Tanaka like he was going to be eaten. “The name’s Tanaka Ryuunosuke,” Tanaka told Yamaguchi, baring his teeth menacingly. “I’m your head J-Tech. C’mon.”

The pilot stuttered a nod before following him.

“Just so you know, I was a tech on Fury for six years, so Tsukishima Jr. knows me a little too well,” Tanaka started as he strutted to the catwalk leading to Helios’s conn-pod. “And my sis the commander of LOCCENT, so don’t even think about complaining to the higher ups if I treat you like a big kid, got it? Not a good idea, no way Jose.”

He kept talking, kept at his beratings of the pilot and his co-pilot in the hospital wing. His intention had been to have to kid open up and trust him a little more, but to Tanaka’s great disappointment, it only made Yamaguchi frightened of him. _This must be why she broke up with me._ Tanaka’s thoughts strayed to his ex, and he sighed melancholy in the middle of whatever he had been saying.

“Anyways, here’s the main attraction!” the J-Tech announced when they reached the innards of Helios’s conn-pod. At the very least, Tanaka grinned proudly when Yamaguchi gaped at the sight of his Jaeger’s command area.

“I didn’t realize how big it was…” the pilot murmured in awe, taking a hesitant step further inside. Tanaka shadowed him, pointing out little things he had added to the generic design of a conn-pod and explaining how every little gear and gizmo exposed worked.

“And of course, here is the command platform, the place you’ll be making big decisions at,” Tanaka told Yamaguchi, grinning at the dua platforms that had been installed a mere few days prior. Yamaguchi also took those in stride, his gaze glancing over every aspect of the contraption. Tanaka noticed this, and had a brief moment of realization that this may have been things that he as a J-Tech saw on a regular basis, but freshly graduated Rookies like Yamaguchi had only ever seen in simulation rooms. Seeing the real deal must have been big for the new pilot.

“Wanna try out your drivesuit?” Tanaka asked encouragingly, trying to mask the usual patronizing of his voice. Without looking at him, Yamaguchi nodded vigorously before following Tanaka back in the direction of the main drive room.

“Tell me,” Tanaka asked a little why later, helping Yamaguchi get strapped into the chest plating of the drivesuit. “Why’d you want to become a pilot, kid?”

Yamaguchi stiffened at the question: Tanaka could feel it as he pulled the last strap on the plating. “I… I don’t know.”

Tanaka chopped him on the head and gave the younger man another nasty glare, and even if they were the same height, the tech obviously bent to look Yamaguchi in the eyes. “You playing me, kid?! The hell do you mean you ‘don’t know’?”

Yamaguchi glanced away with embarrassment and muttered something quietly, irking Tanaka further. “Oi, speak up!”

“I said I became a pilot because of Tsukishima!” Yamaguchi cried a little louder, the blush that had been forming finally climbing across his cheeks and nose.

“Eh?” Tanaka answered, stupefied by that. “He your hero or something?”

“No, I-uh, he… We,” Yamaguchi stuttered out random words, and Tanaka saw that he definitely hadn’t meant to give away the reason for piloting. Instead of what he usually would have done, which would have been laugh or never let Yamaguchi live those words down, Tanaka instead grinned and hooked his arm around the pilot’s neck, rattling his drivesuit plating.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Tanka told him, genuinely smiling. “I won’t tell a soul. Besides, we’ve made progress today, so how can I make ya embarrassed over something like that?!”

Yamaguchi hesitantly laughed, nodding. “Thank you, Tanaka-san.”

“Oi, that’s Tanaka- _senpai_ to you, kiddo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know, disappointing, but I needed to make a lighter chapter before I drop the heavy bomb on you, aka next chapter :)


	6. The Sixth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real reason Ukai did not want to become Marshal is finally revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Shimada Makoto once said, "C'mon Ukai, that's really gay" before they made out

_“Keishin, I want you to do something for me.”_

_“I’m not singing to you, Yuusuke.”_

_Takinoue snorted and gave Ukai a look. “Man, I really don’t_ ever _want to hear you sing again.”_

_“Oh thank God,” Ukai sighed in relief, leaning back on the railing of the balcony._

_It was the night before a drop, first with the Rookie team of Fury Alamo, native to Hong Kong’s Shatterdome. Ukai and his closest friend (next to his own co-pilot), Takinoue Yuusuke, were standing out on the balcony of the Shatterdome. The sun had set, sending a nice and faint pink colour across the darkening sky. Ukai leaned comfortably against the railing as he watched the ocean. Takinoue was beside him, a faint smile on his twenty-seven year old features. They usually did this back when they were stationed in Tokyo, sometimes with their co-pilots present, sometimes not. They just talked, promised things to the wind, smoked a pack between them (even if Shimada berated them endlessly for it), and waited for the drop._

_Tonight seemed different somehow, and Ukai didn’t like it._

_“How’s Yacchan, by the way?” Ukai asked, trying to get Takinoue to forget his question. “She turning out good?”_

_Takinoue laughed, nodding sadly with a smile of fatherly love. “My baby girl’s turning seventeen in September. Can you believe it? It still feels like just yesterday that Madoka and I decided to adopt her.”_

_“You still unhappy she took Madoka’s name?”_

_Takinoue shook his head. “Nah. It’s what Madoka wanted, after she lost her parents, so how could I say no?”_

_Ukai laughed, shaking his head at his friend’s hopelessness. “You still roll over for Madoka just like in high school, my friend.” He took a drag of his cigarette, handing it to Takinoue._

_“I’d do anything for her, Keishin. I’d even die for her. Probably why I became a pilot.” A heavy pause. “That’s why I want to ask you to do something for me.”_

_Ukai’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. There it was. The bad feeling he had been getting from Takinoue._

_“What is it?” Ukai inquired warily, glancing over at his friend._

_Takinoue didn’t speak for a few moments, his usually charismatic and loud personality having mellowed tonight. Ukai couldn’t guess why. The man beside him merely had a small smile on his face, eyes distracted by some distant thought that Ukai would never get out of him._

_“Hitoka,” Takinoue finally started slowly, “knows you well. She’s known you since we adopted her. And I’ve known you for, what, twelve years now? Same goes for Madoka. I trust you, is what I’m getting at, and so do my wife and daughter. I’ve been beside you since high school, the one I’d follow into the fire, be it sports or kaiju busting. Hell, the same even goes for Makoto and Yukinari!” Takinoue looked back at Ukai, eyes firm and determined. “So, I want to ask one thing in return.”_

_“Don’t,” Ukai managed through a suddenly choked throat, but it wasn’t enough for Takinoue to hear._

_“If me and Yukinari go down any time in the future, I want you to promise that you’ll take care of Hitoka and Madoka. Please, Keishin; I know that’s a lot to ask, and you’re going to tell me that Omega will never go down. But we both know better, right?”_

_They did. Or, at least as Ukai made that promise, he knew he should have known better than to prepare for the best._

 

_***_

 

_“Tau Grizzly, launch check complete!”_

_**“Alright, Tau, you’re clear for launch.”** _

_Ukai braced himself as the rumbling of his Jaeger began, the Jumphawks balancing out the weight of the enormous machine. To his left, Shimada mirrored his movements and tensed._

_This wasn’t Ukai’s first drop. He had taken down kaiju in the past, but this has been the shortest time difference between attacks in history. A month? That was unheard of. J-Tech teams usually had close to five weeks of time to do repairs and maintenance on the Jaegers. Plus, this was his first mission in Hong Kong since being transferred from the Tokyo base. Ever since his home base had been shut down, along with almost all the others in the world, him and the Tokyo pilots had been sent to Hong Kong to live out their Ranger careers. Of course his first mission in a new base was going to be hard._

_Not to mention his own grandfather was now his Marshal._

_“Omega, you’ll be taking point today,” Ukai said through the comms to his Strike Group. Takinoue whooped a response back through, the heaviness of the night before forgotten and he now was far too excited for this mission. Takinoue’s co-pilot, Mori Yukinari, laughed in response and confirmed the order. Ukai couldn’t help but smile before continuing. “Alright, newbies, you’ll be on defense of the Mile while we’re secondary offense. You read?”_

_**“Yes, sir!”** a far too stiff twenty-three year old Tsukishima Akiteru cried through the comms, his co-pilot confirming as well. Ukai sighed while Shimada laughed. _

_“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Tsukishima-kun!” Shimada told the rookie pilot. “Watching the Miracle Mile is the easiest job, and you two will do fine; I’m certain of it.”_

_There was a pause, then a **“Thank you, sir, I think he shut up.”** _

_Ukai snorted now, as Tsukishima began bantering with the nicknamed ‘Small Giant.’ Both had excelled in the Academy, so Ukai wasn’t worried about their backup today._

_Tau Grizzly, Fury Alamo and Omega Inferno hit the water hard, balanced, then began heading forward. “Watch your flanks!” Ukai shouted through the comms, warning the other pilots. “Command said this’d be a son of a bitch to take down, so let’s do this fast. Strike Group Alpha, advance!”_

_Ukai hadn’t even finished his sentence before the kaiju, codenamed Frost Claw, came out of the water, the noise like a freight train. In seconds, Ukai’s heart was in his throat, eyes widened, and he realized how bad this was going to be._

_**“S-sir, it… it’s a Category Three, our first ever!”** the dominant pilot of Tau Grizzly heard the Chief J-Tech screech to the Marshal. _

_**“Fury, get in there!”** Ukai heard his grandfather shout into the comms from LOCCENT, signalling the rookie team from the Miracle Mile. Despite the quick command, Frost Claw was already on Tau and Omega. The kaiju was enormous, far bigger than the two Mark II’s it was opposing, and it was fast. Jaegers weren’t designed to be fast, only to pack a punch. This was _ **_very_ ** _bad._

_“Calm down, you’re projecting!” Ukai heard Shimada cry, only now remembering his co-pilot could hear his thoughts. Ukai nodded, ragged breathing causing his drivesuit helmet to fog up, and moved with his co-pilot to slam Tau’s fist into Frost Claw’s armoured jaw. The kaiju screamed in defiance and leapt at Tau, the Mark II teetering beneath the weight. It dug its enormous claws deep into the sides of the command Jaeger, both pilots howling at the nerve connections being severed._

_**“Hold on, Tau, we’re coming!”** Takinoue yelled. Ukai barely saw Omega coming their way before he initiated countermeasures against their opponent. _

_“Plasma cannon charging!” Shimada informed Ukai and Command, the left arm being the only free one. With a roar, the two co-pilots emptied the clip into Frost Claw, the kaiju roaring violently before disconnecting. It rumbled, disappearing beneath the water and out of the sight of the Jaeger teams._

_“Command, can you see it?” Ukai asked, huffing heavily. “Can anybody get a bead on it?!”_

_**“OMEGA, BEHIND YOU!”** _

_It had been Tsukishima’s voice, still being on the Miracle Mile. Fury had been coming, running at the fastest speed of a Mark III, but it still wasn’t enough to make it in time. Frost Claw appeared behind Takinoue and Mori’s Jaeger, jaw already wide and claws extended. Ukai’s heart stuttered and he heard himself screaming for Omega to get the hell out of the way. Omega tried, goddamn,_ **_they tried_ ** _, and Ukai could hardly breathe when he saw the kaiju rip the conn-pod away from the Jaeger’s hull and crush it between its teeth._

When Ukai shot up from the bed in a fiercely cold sweat, his horrified screams reverberated through his room like wildfire.

“Marshal?!” the ground soldier posted outside his door shouted, forcing his way into the room to find Ukai writhing in his sheets, eyes bloodshot and breaths heavy. “Marshal, are you okay?!”

The stricken look in the soldier’s eyes snapped Ukai from his trance, and he worked to control his breathing for a moment. “Y-yes, Nishinoya, I’m fine,” Ukai forced out, placing a hand over his eyes and laying back on his cot.

The younger man lowered the pistol he had been pointing around the room intently. Ukai could see his subordinate hesitant to do that, but did it nonetheless. “Are you sure you’re alright, sir?”

Not a second later, the door slammed open again, and Ukai and Nishinoya glanced to it to find Shimada panting and eyes wide in the doorway. “Keishin-”

“Oh God, Makoto,” Ukai’s mouth spilled the words like a dam falling, and he broke down once again. “Oh God, I’m so sorry, Makoto-”

“You can leave us, soldier,” Shimada told Nishinoya firmly, who quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. The moment they were alone, Ukai felt warmth beneath his eyes and the cold sweat was replaced with overwhelming heat. “Makoto…” he murmured, knowing full well that if he had that nightmarish memory as a dream, Shimada had gotten the same dream.

Ukai’s co-pilot rushed to him and gathered a trembling Ukai into his arms while he sat in the bed next to him. “Ssh, Keishin, I’m here,” he soothed his co-pilot, closing his eyes as Ukai leaned closer to him and let sobs rack his chest. “I know you didn’t mean to, so don’t worry.”

“B-but I should’ve h-had that blocked!” Ukai protested, curling the back of Shimada’s shirt tightly into his fingers. “I-I’ve had it suppressed for so long, why would it come back?! _Why do I still remember every detail?!_ ”

The two pilots gripped each other like it was that day once again, the day they realized they couldn’t do it anymore. Piloting wasn’t how they wanted to die, no matter how heroic it was. Just being in the Shatterdome once again had set Ukai off, had forced him to remember he’d lost his closest friend to the kaiju. Seeing his closest friend’s daughter had only made him worse. Madoka hadn’t spoken to him in the seven years since Takinoue’s funeral as to not remember how painful it was for her to lose her husband, and Ukai had done the same. Even if he trained Yachi to never die like her father, Ukai still feared for her.

 _“Yuusuke, Yuusuke!”_ Ukai wailed into his co-pilot’s chest like it had been Shimada he’d lost six years ago. Before he knew it, his intense anguish washed over the connection between him and Shimada, and his co-pilot was stifling heavy sobs as he held Ukai even tighter.

Their mourning was suddenly cut off when a blaring siren went off. Ukai’s breathing caught and his eyes widened, because it was the same sound he had dreaded hearing ever again for the last seven years.

That sound that signalled a kaiju attack.

_“All LOCCENT personnel to their stations. Repeat, all LOCCENT personnel to their stations. All available Rangers to their driverooms. Repeat, all available Rangers to their driverooms.”_

Ukai shrunk into the curve of his co-pilot’s body, but he knew full well that they had to go. He was Marshal now, and this was probably be the last time he came out of retirement as a Ranger.

Shimada must have been feeling the same, because he swiped at his tears and pulled from Ukai to stand up. “Come on, Keishin,” he told Ukai, who despised losing Shimada’s warmth. “We need to get dressed-”

Shimada stopped speaking when Ukai kissed him.

“Don’t leave me, Makoto,” the Marshal murmured, one hand fast on Shimada’s shirt and the other resting on the back of his neck, tentatively pulling him closer to Ukai. Shimada huffed a ragged breath, and Ukai could feel through the ghost drift that Shimada wanted nothing more than just that. To try and keep him in place, Ukai amplified his projections, and Shimada all but crumpled into his arms then and there.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to ever do that again,” Shimada reminded Ukai in a hushed voice, gaze locked with his co-pilot’s. “You _promised_ me you’d never do it again.”

“My fingers were crossed,” Ukai replied, eyes glancing to his co-pilot’s lips again and he tried desperately to ignore the siren ringing above them. “C’mon, Makoto, just let me forget…”

Shimada pulled away and blocked his projections. “We need to go, Keishin. Please.”

Ukai knew he was right, and sighed heavily before standing and feeling the weight of his position drop back on his shoulders. He’d be taking on a kaiju for the last time today, and Shimada would return to his little store in Sapporo, feeling far too at home on the coast, just like Ukai had been in Sendai. This time, though, Shimada would go home alone and not see Ukai every weekend like before. Before, Ukai would have gone back to his desk job with the P.P.D.C.

But now he had entire Shatterdome to protect, as well as every person in Hong Kong, and one of his only three conditions in exchange for that position was that Shimada never saw said Shatterdome again after their final drop.

That day had come.

“You’re right,” Ukai said firmly, doing a complete 180 and recomposing himself in an instant, feeling Shimada’s attitude flow through him through their link. “Let’s go hunting.”

 

***

 

Kuroo and Kozume finally emerged from their quarters when the kaiju attack was called, and made their way to the drive rooms, just in case.

When it came down to who would be piloting, every Rookie had been terrified they’d be offered up. Some of them were so worried that Hinata puked and Yachi passed out, immediately taking Solar and Nova out of the running. As well, Yamaguchi’s co-pilot was still hospitalized, so that left Futakuchi and Aone for Victor Tango.

The two hardened Rookies seemed to realize the same thing as Kuroo, because even as Aone was impassive (and most likely trying to project that feeling to Futakuchi), his co-pilot was stiff, wide-eyed and shaking like a leaf.

“They won’t send you out,” Kuroo reassured the rookie pilots, nudging Futakuchi’s shoulder to shake him from his fear. “Our old Marshal maybe would have, but his grandson’s a pilot too. He knows what it’s like being a newbie in the Shatterdome.

“But there’s only two functional vet teams,” the younger pilot forced out from behind clenched teeth, not gracing Kuroo with his frightened gaze. “And we all know what happened the last time they sent out only two teams. They won’t do it again, even if it means losing us.”

Kuroo wanted to encourage the pilot despite the mood he was creating, but he knew full well that he was painfully right. The whole reason Kuroo has staged a coup on the former Marshal was because he lost a close friend, a member of his deranged little family within the Shatterdome. He didn’t know what he would do if the new Marshal made the same mistake and Tau or Endeavour, or even these Rookies, were lost because of it.

Bokuto and Akaashi arrived next to the J-Tech lab connected to all the drive rooms, then Matsukawa and Hanamaki, and finally Haiba and Yaku. When all the available pilots were assembled, all drivesuit techs prepping the drive rooms, the Marshal, Captain Shimada, and Dr. Yamamoto arrived last. Everyone saluted, but he first thing out of Kuroo’s mouth was, “Send us in one of the new Jaegers. We’ll go in Victor Tango’s pilots’ places.” Kozume nodded in agreement, the smaller man standing tall like Kuroo.

Ukai shook his head, hands on his hips. “No, you aren’t calibrated for any of the Mark IVs, Ranger. Besides, I’m not sending the Rookies out today.”

Futakuchi just about collapsed, Aone just barely catching him.

Kuroo glanced at the Rookie, but couldn’t feel any ease from the Marshal’s words. He bit his lip, not noticing Kozume do the same, and looked back to the Marshal with worry. “Then do you mean to send out Juno or Zulu too?”

 _“God, no,”_ Ukai exclaimed in an exasperated voice. Shimada looked restless as well. “Juno Raptor still had a good week left of repair, you know that, and Zulu won’t be back in the field for another month _at least._ No, Ranger Kuroo, I’m not sending any of the Rookies or you currently decommissioned pilots out.” Instead, the Marshal glanced away from him. “Rangers Bokuto, Akaashi, Haiba and Yaku, prepare to drop. Dr. Yamamoto, have the J-Techs prep Endeavour Aurora, Tau Grizzly and Helios Thunder.”

Everyone perked at that, and Kuroo saw Yamaguchi’s eyes widen with horror. “Sir, Tsukishima hasn’t recovered!” he shouted, suddenly angry that the Marshal could even suggest such as thing. “Just send us, we can go-”

“I _just_ told you, Kuroo, that I’m not sending any Rookies, did I not?” the Marshal growled, eyes sharp as knives and voice sterner than steel. Kuroo immediately shut his mouth, realizing he had stepped over the line of authority. “Yamaguchi and Tsukishima will not be piloting Helios. Shimada and I will be.”

“This is the best option,” Shimada stated, now speaking in place of the Marshal, who nodded. “Helios has not been calibrated to Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, seeing as Tsukishima had been bedridden, meaning it will be easy for Ukai and I to drift with that Jaeger. We would have gone with Tau, but…”

“We’ll make you proud, Makoto-san!” Haiba cried proudly, beaming before Yaku’s obvious projections calmed him down.

“What he said,” Yaku then smirked, crossing his arms, Haiba’s excitement having drifted over as well.

Despite it all, Kuroo finally felt a bit at ease. If the Marshal and Captain were in the field, Kuroo wouldn’t have to worry about the other members of Strike Group.

Before the remaining pilots headed to LOCCENT for the drop, Kuroo fist bumped Bokuto and Yaku, telling the dominant pilots to keep themselves safe, Kozume doing the same with Akaashi (and Haiba, despite not liking the younger pilot all that much).

When Kuroo started past Ukai, the Marshal stopped him for a moment, Kozume freezing as well. “Tetsurou,” Ukai murmured, holding the Ranger’s shoulder without looking at him. “I’ll bring them back.”

Kuroo paused, but nodded eventually, feeling Kozume’s small hand suddenly reach for Kuroo’s bomber jacket hem. “I’m holding you to that,” he muttered in response, then followed the other Rangers while pulling Kozume close.

 

***

 

“Helios Thunder, launch check complete.”

**“Helios Thunder, you’re clear for launch!”**

Ukai braced himself for the rumbling of the Jaeger, the familiar feeling like muscle memory even after three years out of a Jaeger.

This would be Ukai’s last drop. With a total of 26 kaiju kills over an allotted ten years before retirement, adding one more kill to count shouldn’t be too hard. One more. One last one.

“Ome-”

Ukai caught himself and snapped his mouth shut, eyes wide. Shimada glanced at him from his left, worry in his eyes. _Keishin, you need to focus. Focus on me. Don’t chase the rabbit._

 _I know, I know, I’m sorry,_ Ukai sent back to his co-pilot before taking a slow and easy breath. It was 2033, not 2027. He was Marshal Ukai Keishin of the Hong Kong Shatterdome, not Ranger Ukai Keishin of the Tokyo Shatterdome anymore. He wasn’t the dominant pilot of Tau Grizzly anymore.

“Endeavour, you’ll be taking point,” Ukai announced through the comms. Bokuto whooped in excitement, Ukai’s heavy mood dispelling quickly. No smile came to his lips, though. “Tau,” god, was it weird to say that, “you’re on the Miracle Mile and we’ll be on secondary offense. You read?”

 **“Yessir!”** Haiba chimed back within an instant of the order, and Ukai saw the two other Jaegers move into position according to the kaiju.

This drop was crucial to the future of the Shatterdome. Not only would it be showcasing that Ukai was a capable Marshal as well as Jaeger pilot, it would also be debuting a Mark IV, which Ukai had wanted to do at a later time for Helios Thunder specifically. The line up was meant to be Victor Tango, Nova Electra, Solar Fox (if those two incompetent brats got their act together in time), finishing with Helios Thunder once Tsukishima recovered and was able to be recalibrated to a new Jaeger. Unfortunately, it would have to be announced to the public that Helios had temporary pilots in its first run and that the official pilots wouldn’t be on drops for another few months. If the reception to the Mark IV was good, then that would actually happen.

 **“Category Four, nicknamed Leecher,”** Ukai heard Saeko inform the pilots from LOCCENT. **“It seems to be taking in an enormous amount of energy from any of its surroundings. Like, every fish out there is dead. Be careful, sir: Tau and Endeavour are analog, but Helios is our only digital. It may be able to convert electricity to usable energy.”**

“Same goes for Tau and Endeavour with their nuclear cores,” Ukai replied, him and Shimada moving Helios to square off with Leecher. “Endeavour, we’ll test out what this bastard can do, and you find a weak point. Copy?”

 **“Copy, sir,”** Bokuto and Akaashi answered in unison.

Ukai then gave his co-pilot a fleeting sidelong glance before focussing on Leecher. “You ready?”

He noticed Shimada faintly shake his head and could feel a pang through the drift, but the man said, “Hell yeah.”

Together, their two gazes simultaneously met and they couldn’t help but grin. “Let’s go hunting.”


End file.
